Woodwork and Wine
by secondratehotel
Summary: A recent string of murders brings Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs to Major Crimes in Los Angeles. There, he must work with Captain Sharon Raydor and her team to solve the case.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction so bear with me. Any constructive criticism is welcome! I've had this idea of a NCIS and Major Crimes crossover for a while. So let's see where it'll go.

_NCIS,_ _Major Crimes, _and its characters don't belong to me.

* * *

Ding!

The elevator doors greeted Leroy Jethro Gibbs as he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes adjusted to the annoying skylight in the middle of the squad room and saw his team still at their desks.

"Sorry Boss, we're staying," said Senior Field Agent Anthony DiNozzo last night when Gibbs ordered them home. He couldn't help but smile, knowing they always say that when the case gets tough. This time was no different.

The team has been chasing a serial killer for the past three weeks. The murderer has been targeting sailors until yesterday, killing a civilian, who has yet to be identified. Gibbs and his team were called when local law enforcement realized the M.O. matched the other murders. The civilian was a special case, seeing as how the killer was consistent: he would slit the victims' throat and tie them with rope. The newest victim, not in the military database, was killed by strangulation but she received multiple stab wounds with the same knife in the other murders. The only consistency, however, was the removal of the fingernail from the left ring finger.

Gibbs looked at his computer screen, which was still trying to identify the victim. He sighed and went to get his straight black coffee from the break room. He couldn't see what caused the killer to change his M.O. and wouldn't know until the victim was identified.

"Morning Gibbs," greeted Agent Ziva David, "anything new?"

"Nope," he replied before taking a sip and sitting down at his desk.

Agent Timothy McGee began stirring at the sound of their voices and shot up when he realized he was still at work.

"Go home," Gibbs ordered again, knowing they needed to freshen up, "and wake up DiNozzo." Ziva and McGee nodded and plotted secretly to scare DiNozzo. Gibbs hid his face behind the computer screen as he heard Tony yell and curse like a sailor. He smiled and shook his head as his team headed for the elevator.

Beep beep beep! The computer blared as it identified the victim. A hand stopped the closing elevator doors as the team exited the cable car and went back to their desks.

"Looks like our victim is a missing person from Los Angeles. I wonder why it took so long to identify her. I bet she was killed by her kidnapper," reported DiNozzo.

"You can't assume she was kidnapped, Tony," replied McGee.

"You're right, McGoo, but I'll bet she was," Tony said as he extended his hand. McGee walked toward Tony, with an intention to take the bet before he was interrupted by Gibbs' slap to the back of Tony's head.

"Don't bother McGee, our victim was in the news a few years ago. I knew she looked familiar," said Gibbs, as he realized it was Tamara Adams, daughter of the prominent lawyer, William Adams. Her picture was plastered on the news for weeks. He knew if his own daughter had been kidnapped, he would want to hear it from the person who found her, dead or alive.

"I'm going."


	2. Chapter 2

"Have you ever seen the guy before?" asked Lieutenant Andy Flynn.

"No, but I bet you he's a young hotshot looking to climb his way to the top," replied Lt. Louie Provenza, "heck, he got Major Crimes to pick him up."

Flynn could only chuckle and agree but straightened up as the arrivals began to pour in. Even if the guy was a hotshot, Andy wanted to represent LAPD as best as possible. Provenza? Not so much. He has been working for LAPD for as long as he could remember and instead of being promoted to the head of Major Crimes, he was passed over for Sharon Raydor. At first, the mention of her name made his blood pressure rise. But he has come to terms with her being in charge.

Gibbs walked out of the arrivals, carrying only his army bag. He intended to take a taxi to his hotel and get settled before going to Major Crimes, but Chief Taylor insisted he gets picked up and taken straight to his office. After all, the case is a high profile case.

"Agent Gibbs," he greeted as he extended his hand to shake Flynn's and Provenza's. Flynn took it while Provenza stood shocked for a second, realized that Gibbs must be around their age.

"Not what you expected, right?" Gibbs said, reading Provenza's mind. Flynn chuckled and nodded as he directed Gibbs to their police cruiser.

"So how long have you been with NCIS?" Andy asked, trying to make conversation.

"About twenty years. Joined in June of '92," answered Gibbs.

"How about you two, how long have you been causing trouble for the LAPD?"

"Too long," chuckled Provenza as Flynn agreed.

...

"We've returned," Provenza announced to the team, "where's Captain?"

"She's in her office, furious at Taylor for excluding her from this case. I'm Detective Amy Sykes," Amy said as she got up to greet Gibbs, "Gunny, right?" Gibbs nodded as he shook her hand. After being introduced to the Major Crimes team, Gibbs knocked on the Captain's door and waited before he was called in. He figured if Chief Taylor wasn't in, the next best person to talk to was the Captain. After all, he couldn't care less about listening to orders, Director Vance could attest to that.

"Oh, hello Agent Gibbs, forgive me for not being outside to meet you, I'm Captain Raydor," said Sharon, "please sit down." Gibbs took the seat she gestured at and looked around her office, spic-and-span, just the way he has it at home.

"So what can Major Crimes do for you today?"

"I assume you remember the high profile missing person case of Tamara Adams, well she turned up in Virginia, apparently murdered by a serial killer my team and I've been chasing," answered Gibbs. Sharon looked at him more intensely, did he say _Tamara Adams_? He must have, since he doesn't look like a man that stutters. She could only nod and excuse herself from her own office, realizing that was why Chief Taylor had excluded her. This man had just found her missing-now dead-daughter.


	3. Chapter 3

Sharon kept her head lower than normal as she made her way to the restroom. She didn't want her team to see her crying. She closed the door, locked it, and leaned against it. She knew she would owe the team an explanation, but she needed, no she deserved, five minutes. After all, she had just found out her daughter is dead.

It was a rainy night when Tamara had gone missing. Bill called her, frantically, asking if she knew where she had gone. The two were separated by then and she could only scoff when she reminded him it was his week to have the kids. But when he promised he wasn't drunk, she believed him. She knew he was a good father, but when he wasn't one, he was a lousy drunk and a workaholic. They agreed to leave Sharon out of the news, knowing that her being a police officer made enemies out of the criminal world. She knew she would hear the worst of it from the public and her coworkers in FID, but she couldn't care less if it meant her daughter's safe return.

Tamara's kidnapper left virtually no evidence and after months of no leads, Sharon engulfed herself in her work. Her son, Leeland, grew up and moved on while Bill continued to swim in alcohol.

Sharon's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She took a deep breath before having to face her team and made sure her eyes were tear free.

"Are you alright, Captain?" asked the too eager to please Sykes as Sharon opened the door. Sharon nodded and made her way back to her office.

Gibbs was still sitting when Sharon entered the office. He stood up and watched her make her way to her desk drawer and pull out a picture. He realized then that the Captain had a personal connection to the victim, otherwise she wouldn't keep such a personal photo. When his old eyes were able to adjust, he saw it was a picture of Sharon in casual clothing, hugging the then teenage victim. Gibbs' eyes quickly flashed sadness before he toughened them up again. He knew what it was like to lose a child, but he could only imagine the things Sharon went through during the years Tamara was missing.

"Listen up, Major Crimes will be assisting Agent Gibbs and NCIS in the recent string of murders in Virginia. The most recent victim," Sharon paused as she put her daughter's picture on the board, "was a missing person her in L.A. Now Agent Gibbs and his team believe the serial killer has ties to Tamara Adams, so let's start there."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **And this is as far as I've gotten. I just wanted to give you guys (if any are out there reading this haha) some sort of thing to go off on. I realize the chapters are very short. Oops. :\

* * *

"Captain, are you going to be fine?" Andy wondered out loud for the team. She forgot that even though the public didn't know she was the mother, majority of the LAPD did.

"I want to be the one to tell him. He deserves that at least," answered Sharon, referring to her husband. Flynn got her memo and grabbed his jacket to pick up Bill.

...

"Really Sharon, you had to get your goons to pick me up from work when you could have just called?" asked Bill, "are you still mad at me that I won't divorce you so you resort to embarrassing me?"

Sharon could only roll her eyes, "You know that's not-"

"We're actually here to discuss about your daughter, Tamara," Gibbs interrupted, "when did you first realize she was missing?"

"I didn't actually," Bill answered, looking ashamed, "it was Lee who did. I was too...consumed."

"You promised me you weren't!" Sharon said as her face turned red. Gibbs cleared his throat, hoping to act as a reminder that she isn't alone.

"Captain, a word?" Gibbs stated more than asking. He held open the door for her and made a face at Bill that only married men could understand. If he was fuming, she couldn't tell. She knew he had a reputation in the interrogation room but she couldn't keep her motherly instincts in check.

"Sorry, won't happen again," apologized Sharon. She rarely apologized and when she does, it's because she knows she was wrong.

"Rule #6: Never apologize, it's a sign of weakness," Gibbs said, "I've respected your wishes so I hope you respect mine." Sharon nodded and wondered if he had a whole list of rules to live by. She opened the door to the interview room, feeling calmer than before, and sat across from Bill. Gibbs entered after her, standing behind the empty chair he once occupied.

"Is there anything else about that night that you can remember?" he asked. Bill shook his head and told him everything he remembered is in the police report. Gibbs thanked him for his time and left the room.

Sharon looked at Bill, noticing his tired blue eyes and the many more wrinkles Time presented him with. He always drank a little here and there but when Tamara went missing, he could empty the liquor cabinet. He had hid it well until one night when Lee broke his arm and he had to call Sharon to drive their son to the hospital. The couple never spoke of that moment ever again but he knew better than to test her temperament. She could have ruined his name, his reputation, but she told him to get help, and he did, for their son.

"She's gone," Sharon said, shaking her head slightly. Bill looked up and met her gaze. He could tell she was serious, the same time when she demanded he get help. He rose from his seat and instead of comforting her like any normal couple, he headed for the door.

"Bill, don't do it. You've come too far to lose it," she said, knowing full well what he was going to do. He removed his hand from the handle and sighed before leaving the interview room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Evenmoor, I plead the fifth. ehehe. Thanks :). And I see you two too (you know who you are), thanks!

* * *

Gibbs sighed as he took off his reading glasses. He had gone over the police report three times and nothing suspicious popped out. He checked his watch, unaware midnight was fast approaching and the Major Crimes squad had gone home. He gathered the evidence, picked up his bag, and got up to leave his makeshift office. He will come back tomorrow to try again, as always. With a last look around the room and a sigh, he turned off the lights and headed for the elevator.

Turning the corner, he stopped short before running into Captain Raydor, who was preoccupied with the same police report in her hands. Fortunately for the both of them, Sharon was walking at a slow pace and he was able to save his old back.

"Oh excuse me Agent Gibbs, didn't expect to find anyone else here at this hour," she said, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"No problem, I thought everyone had left also," he responded, adjusting his shoulder strap.

"Yes, well since this case was reopened, I figured I should go over it again to see if I missed anything else the last thousand times I went over it," she said with a sad smile, figuring he would understand. Gibbs nodded and gave her a sympathetic smile and checked his watch,

"I should get going, even though it's L.A., I always have trouble hailing a cab."

Sharon smiled a genuine smile, trying to imagine someone as intimidating as Gibbs being passed over by taxi drivers. He bid her goodnight and waited for the cable car to get to the floor.

"Wait," she called out, remembering he is staying at the Figueroa, "I could give you a ride back since the hotel is on the way to my apartment."

Gibbs should his head, "It's alright Captain, I think I'll be visiting an old friend tonight. See you tomorrow."

Sharon nodded and turned her heels after the elevator closed. What an odd hour to be visiting a friend, she thought. Agent Gibbs was an interesting man, she continued. She didn't know anything else about him besides what Agent Howard managed to find. He fought in Operation Desert Storm, been married four times, divorced three, and had a long list of awards yet never claims them. He was an interesting man indeed.

Gibbs watched as the number in the cable car descended before the doors opened on the first floor. He nodded at the man working the security desk and exited the lobby. The chilly fall air hit his face and he took a deep breath before fixing his scarf. Even though it is colder in Virginia, it always took his body a few minutes to adjust to the temperature. He looked in the direction of his hotel and began walking the other way. It had been a long day for him and he wanted nothing more to be in his basement working on his boat. But he decided to settle for the next best thing, bourbon.

He entered the first bar he found. It was fairly empty seeing that it was a Tuesday night, except with a few people hustling pool. He made his way to the counter and ordered bourbon before noticing Bill on the opposite side. The man was slumping over the counter, playing with his full glass of alcohol. Gibbs waited for his drink before making his way to the seat next to Bill.

"Still thinking about it, huh?" he asked, taking a sip. Bill could only offer a grunt before folding his arms. Gibbs stared at his drink, as if trying to come up with the right words to say to Bill. But he never was a man of many words and he certainly wasn't going to start. So the two sat in a comfortable, albeit awkward silence.

"What do you know about losing a child and not knowing what happened to her until some guy in a suit comes and tells you?" Bill broke the silence. Gibbs looked up from his glass, thinking there he goes. Bill grabbed his car keys, paid for his untouched drink, and left. Gibbs raised his eyebrow at the bartender, silently asking if he had any previous drinks, and nodded when she shook her head. He definitely did not want to play babysitter to a grown man. He looked at the door Bill used, gulped his drink and grabbed his bag before leaving through the same door.


	6. Chapter 6

The sound of the phone ringing jolted Gibbs awake. He moved the police report off his lap and got up from the sofa to answer his phone.

"Morning Boss, I know it's early in L.A. but Ducky found something interesting about our victim," McGee said as he passed the receiver to the medical examiner.

"Good morning Jethro! I hope Los Angeles is treating you well. You know, there was this one time I visited there with mother and—"

"Duck," Gibbs interrupted, knowing his old friend always goes off on tangents.

"Oh right Jethro, well I've been over every inch of the victim's body and there's no sign of abuse of any kind," Dr. Mallard reported. Gibbs thanked Ducky and hung up the phone before allowing him to continue with his story. He checked his watch which read 0530 and realized he had half an hour before going to the office. He looked out the window and figured it would be a good day to walk to the headquarters. Gibbs would normally take a car, but the plane ride to Los Angeles and the awkward sleeping position last night demanded his body be stretched.

"Rusty! I need you to get up, I have work in an hour!" Sharon yelled as she jumped into the shower. She had the boy for a few months now and he still has trouble getting up for school. Typical teenagers, she though as she rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright, I'm up," Rusty muttered to no one half an hour later, "I just can't get a break around here." He got up and headed for the kitchen, hoping to make a quick breakfast. When he turned the corner, he saw a man sticking his head in the refrigerator. Trying to go back to his room quietly, he almost collided with Sharon who was standing behind him with her arms crossed.

"Jeez! You just know how to wake people up, don't you?" He whispered and signaled his head toward the kitchen. Sharon raised her eyebrow and peeked around the corner before straightening her blazer. She told Rusty to get ready while she dealt with the problem in the kitchen.

"William Adams," Sharon spoke, trying to remain calm, "what are you doing in my kitchen?" Instead of hearing a response, she heard a soft "ow" before seeing Bill straighten up.

"You know, most people say 'good morning' to their spouses," he smirked, "thought I would let you know I didn't drink even though you sent that suit to make sure, how kind of you." Sharon looked at him confused for a second before coming to her senses. She was happy for him that he didn't drink but she didn't need his attitude, especially this early in the morning. She called for Rusty and ushered Bill out the door.

"I can take the bus to school, I haven't eaten breakfast and I know you have an important case to work on," Rusty said, acknowledging her daughter's recent death. Sharon gave him a thankful smile and headed out the door for work.

...

Gibbs entered the Starbucks, carrying his gear and reports, and ordered his black coffee. The clock on the wall read 6:30 and he had half an hour before the Major Crimes squad began reporting for duty. With drink in hand, he walked out the door only for a jogger to bump into his arm, spilling his coffee all over his shirt. The blonde woman apologized and when she looked up, he froze.

"Hollis?" He asked to be sure and cocked his head, "what are you doing in Los Angeles?"

"Oh hi Jethro, I'm sorry about your coffee, rule #23 and all. Here let me pay for another one," she offered, getting money from her pocket. Gibbs was at a loss of words, even though he had little to begin with. Last he heard of her was when then-alive Director Sheppard told him she had retired to Hawaii. He snapped back to reality when he saw a shiny reflection from her left hand. Hollis, following his gaze, turned red,

"I knew you weren't over her so I left and found someone else. I didn't want to make it any harder on you than it had to be. But you deserve to be happy Jethro and so do I." Gibbs only nodded and refused her money.

"So what brings the infamous Gibbs to Los Angeles?" She continued, "I've told you why, now it's your turn to tell me. Is it possible you actually decided to vacation this time?"

"No, I'm here on business," Gibbs smiled, remembering how hard she wanted him to take a vacation when they were together. He glanced at his watch and remembered he needed to change before going to work, so he offered a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry about that Jethro, but don't work too hard," Hollis Mann said before returning to her jogging. He smiled and headed back to his hotel to change. He contemplated following her to Hawaii then, to prove he had moved on, but she was right, he hadn't. The tape of his daughter playing the piano only fueled her case.

...

After changing and finishing his cup of coffee while inside his hotel, Gibbs again made the trek for the police department. He made it halfway before being honked at by a police cruiser.

"Need a ride, Agent Gibbs?" asked Captain Raydor. He reluctantly put his bag in the car and got in.

"I would have figured you would already be at the office," she said, keeping two hands on the wheel.

"I would have, but I ran into an old friend while getting coffee," smiling to himself.

"Speaking of old friends, how did you know Bill was going to be at that bar?" Sharon asked, using the tone she uses with suspects.

"I didn't," he answered. Sharon was waiting to hear more but gave up when she realized he wasn't going to say anything else. The rest of the car ride to the department continued in uncomfortable silence: Gibbs still on edge after running into Hollis and Sharon uncertain of the man sitting next to her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews/follow! I really appreciate them (:

* * *

"Morning Captain," Flynn smiled as the elevator doors opened. His smiled turned flat when he walked in and saw Gibbs in the corner. He nodded and convinced himself it was merely a coincidence. The ride to the squad room seemed to take longer than usual.

Agent Gibbs stayed in his corner, observing Sharon and Andy's body language. She seemed to relax when he entered the car while Andy looked to be stiff. Gibbs could only smile in his head, figuring the two out faster than a cheetah chasing its prey. Or he could be completely wrong and she was happy to see a familiar face and he is uncomfortable around his boss. But let's be honest, Gibbs is rarely wrong.

The elevator doors finally opened and Sharon Raydor exited the awkward environment with haste. Andy's presence made it bearable but it wasn't enough to rid her suspicions of Agent Gibbs. She decided that she's going to have to dig into his background.

"I received word this morning from our chief medical examiner that Adams had no signs of abuse," Gibbs reported to the Major Crimes squad.

"I'll look for any old connections, it seems rather suspicious her kidnapper didn't abuse her," replied Lt. Tao.

"What if her kidnapper had a daughter too? It would explain the lack of abuse. Maybe he felt an emotional connection to her," suggested Detective Sanchez. Tao nodded and began furiously typing on his keyboard while Gibbs made his way to his makeshift office.

"Hello Agent Gibbs, I believe we haven't met, I'm Chief Taylor." Gibbs turned around and took the extended hand.

"I'm sure it is said without a doubt but the LAPD is fully cooperating with NCIS. If you need anything, feel free to holler," Chief Taylor spoke, with his head held higher than before. Gibbs thanked him for his cooperation and went to work. His team in Virginia have been coming up with dead ends after dead ends. What if they were wrong about the case, a question he pondered too much lately. He decided he needed to dig deeper into the Adams' history.

...

"Come in," Sharon responded to the knock on her door. Andy entered her office, watching her be distracted by whatever was on her computer screen. Her eyes looked tired, he observed, most likely from the stress of her daughter's death. Other than that, she hid her emotions well, keeping a strong front.

"Can I help you, Lt. Flynn?" She asked, removing her hand from her mouse and folding them. She has been distancing herself from the case but found herself helping in any way possible.

"Do you trust him?" Andy asked, "Agent Gibbs, I mean."

"I know who you are talking about," she answered, "and the jury is still out on it. I trust him enough to find my daughter's killer, but I don't trust the way he will do it. I have a feeling he and rules don't get along." Andy rolled his eyes, here she goes again about rules. It is always rules this and rules that with this woman.

"Is that all, Lt. Flynn?" Sharon asked, hoping to get back to her research. Andy nodded and left the office, he figured if she half-trusted Gibbs, so could he. She looked at the police report sitting on her desk. She's been through it cover to cover and felt helpless, how can she call herself a mother if she failed at the one thing she was suppose to do? Sharon took a deep breath, trying to stop herself from tearing up. She grabbed the case file and dropped it into the drawer before slamming it shut.

...

"What do you got, Abbs?"

"Hi Gibbs! I can't believe you didn't take me to Los Angeles with you! I totally would have teamed up with Nell and Eric!" Abby said, practically yelling in Gibbs' ear, "anyway, I've been going over the stomach content found in Tamara's body and everything she ate was organic. It looks like either she lived on a farm or in a farming community here in Virginia. It will narrow down the possible places."

"Good work Abby, get a Caf-Pow on me. And if you wanted to come, just ask," said Gibbs as if it was a no brainer.

...

"With the recent information given, we were able to narrow down the list of possible suspects. We cross-matched any job requiring farming to the list Mr. Adams gave to the police and found three men with possible ties to Tamara. But get this, only one recently traveled to Virginia and is arriving back in Los Angeles today," Lt. Tao reported to the squad, avoiding eye contact with Captain Raydor. Gibbs noticed this and walked toward the Captain.

"I don't think you should be here right now," he whispered, "you're putting your team in an awkward position."

"How do you know it isn't you they are uncomfortable with?" she retorted, harsher than planned. Oh well, he can handle it, she thought. Gibbs let out a quiet snort and nodded his head as if to say touché.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Thank you for the review; it motivates me to continue doing this :) I mean, beside the fact that I kind of like doing it too haha. and mj (guest-if I haven't scared you off :(), no worries, I just needed a reason for Raydor to run into Gibbs. But I do like Hollis. HAHA. okay but that's her last appearance, I swear.

Also, thanks for sticking with me, haha :)

* * *

He stood in the electronics room, watching the suspect while sipping his coffee. Flynn and Provenza brought him in half an hour ago but Gibbs has yet to interrogate him. Instead, Detective Julio Sanchez has been sitting in the room with the suspect. The suspect paid no mind to the detective, however, too busy wearing a hole through the floor. Since his arrival, all he has been muttering is, "I didn't do it," in regards to the allegations of murder and kidnapping.

"So is he ever going to interrogate the guy?" whispered Provenza to Flynn. Flynn could only offer a shrug in return and rolled his eyes.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Flynn said, "if only Captain Raydor wasn't personally involved, she would crack the bastard just by looking at him." Provenza agreed with a raised eyebrow. As if she heard him, Sharon entered the room and sat on the edge of the counter, curious about the interrogation. Her face flashed a surprised look when she realized there were three gray-haired men in the electronics room. Then she remembered the report she got from the FBI, Gibbs liked to wait before interrogating the suspect. Why though, the report didn't say and she couldn't figure it out. The sound of a plastic cup falling into a waste bin shook Sharon from her thoughts and she saw Gibbs enter the interrogation room through the monitors.

...

"Thank you, Detective Sanchez," said Gibbs as he entered the room, "take a seat Mr. Murray."

"I didn't do it," he said, trying to convince Gibbs. He reluctantly took his seat as Gibbs opened the police repot.

"What were you doing in Virginia for three weeks?" asked Gibbs as he folded his hands.

"Business, my boss needed me to go out there and help a client," he answered confidently. Gibbs looked down at the report and pulled out his glasses to read Mr. Murray's background.

"And your boss, a Simon Thomas, will verify that? Because it sounds awfully convenient that you get sent on a business trip around the same time the killings started," Gibbs said, as he raised his head to look at Mr. Murray. The suspect began fidgeting with his hands and asked for his lawyer.

"Sounds like you'll need it, said Gibbs before leaving the room with Detective Sanchez.

...

"Great, all he managed to do was get nothing. So much for his _great_ reputation," scoffed Lt. Provenza. Andy could only clear his throat and look pass Provenza at Gibbs, who heard him. Provenza eyes opened wide but refused to turn around. Flynn smiled, remembering the time when then-Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson caught Provenza mimicking her. Sharon, witnessing this moment, had to budge in and save Provenza again, except this time from Gibbs, not IA.

"Lt. Provenza, could you make sure the lawyer finds his way to his client?" she asked, tilting her head. Provenza nodded and he quickly made his way to the elevator. Flynn continued chuckling before realizing Gibbs was staring and mumbled he was going to find Mr. Thomas and quickly went to his desk.

Sharon walked towards Gibbs and offered a small smile,

"How do we like Mr. Murray?"

"We'll see," Gibbs answered, "the fact that he lawyered up makes him more suspicious, a fact I'm sure you are aware of." Sharon nodded and whispered a thanks before going back to her office. She vaguely remembers a Mr. Murray from the years back when Bill always went on a rant about a client, who had the same name, and was brewing trouble in the office. Unfortunately, she never did get to meet him. She decided to call Bill later in the night to ask about Mr. Murray to see if he could offer any information. In the meantime, she had a call to make to the FBI about Gibbs' background.

...

"Agent Gibbs, Mr. Murray's lawyer is here and they are waiting for you in the interrogation room," reported Provenza. Gibbs signaled to Buzz and entered the room with Sanchez following.

"Actually Det. Sanchez, you can watch in electronics," Gibbs said, wanting to go solo. Sanchez agreed and left to go watch from the monitors. Gibbs entered the interrogation room to see the suspect and his lawyer huddling. The suspect quickly straightened up while the lawyer slowly looked up with the face of confidence.

"I'm sorry, Detective Gibbs, but my client has nothing to do with the outrageous chargers the LAPD has accused him of," the lawyer spoke, "as he said before, he was in Virginia on business and Mr. Thomas can verify it."

"It's Special Agent Gibbs and I'm not with LAPD, I'm with NCIS."

"NCI-who?"

"Naval criminal investigative service. And the Mr. Thomas your client keeps referring to is a hard man to find. So if he," Gibbs signaled his head towards Mr. Murray, "wants an alibi, then he better tell us how we can find him." The lawyer turned to his client and nodded. Mr. Murray reluctantly shoved a business card across the table and Gibbs took it.

"Now is my client free to go?"

"Nope. Let's find Mr. Thomas first, then we will see," said Gibbs as he got up from his seat.

"But-" the lawyer started before getting cut off by the door closing. Gibbs entered electronics and gave Sanchez the card, telling him to tell the squad the recently acquired information.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **I've been working on some chapters and with a little revising, I'll be uploading them. I hope you guys are enjoying this, haha, because I sure am having a blast writing it. :) mj: you read my mind! Unfortunately, I didn't include a conversation between the two. But I also like Fornell haha. He's a hoot. And I'll do my best to make them longer haha!

Also, hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving! (:

* * *

"How does finding this Thomas guy give our suspect an alibi? For all we know Mr. Thomas is his best friend and is just looking out for him. Murray has the height and build to kill those sailors," complained Flynn to Provenza.

"But what are his motives?" reasoned Provenza. Flynn shrugged and went back to looking for Mr. Thomas. Lt. Tao shot up from his chair with the phone in his ear, signaling to Provenza. The seasoned veteran walked over and waited for Tao to hang up.

"I just got off the phone with one of Murray's neighbor in Virginia. She says that it wasn't until three weeks ago did she notice cars going in and out of the property. When I asked her what kind of cars, she said there were two cars, one which I confirmed was Murray's and the other one has yet to be identified. But get this; the same time Murray left was the same time the other car stopped going to the property and that was the same time Adams was killed," Tao excitedly reported. Provenza praised his colleague and went to tell the Captain before being interrupted by Chief Taylor.

"Lieutenant, need I remind you Captain Raydor is personally involved in this case?" Provenza offered a small nod and turned around to inform Gibbs.

...

"Agent Gibbs," Provenza said as he entered the office, "Lt. Tao-"

"Good work DiNozzo," said Gibbs into the phone before hanging up, "what did Lt. Tao find?"

"He found a witness in Virginia who said there were two cars entering Murray's property and only confirmed one to be Murray."

"That confirms what my team in Virginia just found, we've confirmed that Adams stayed on his farm for sure. I guess he grows a special type of food." Provenza smiled at the fact that the LAPD beat the Feds in getting information. But before he could subliminally brag about, Gibbs grabbed his jacket and left his office. Provenza looked at the direction Gibbs went and merely shrugged before going back to the murder room.

...

Sharon Raydor continued reading the new report on Gibbs that she received from an Agent Fornell. She flipped open to "Operation Desert Storm," curious as to what caused him to joined NIS. Out of her peripheral she saw Gibbs exit his office with haste and only showed curiosity before picking up the phone and dialing Flynn.

"Lt. Flynn," he answered.

"Where is he going?" she asked. Flynn turned around in his chair to make eye contact with Sharon and shrugged,

"Didn't say. He got his jacket and left."

"Hmm, thank you. Oh before I forget, did you find Mr. Thomas?" Flynn shook his head and she hung up the phone and returned to looking at Gibbs' report.

"Alright, let's see your history," Sharon said out loud. She skimmed through Operation Desert Storm and came to a stop on the last day of the operation. She gasped and used her hand to cover her mouth before looking up to make sure no one saw her. Sharon quickly regained her composure and closed the report before putting it in the drawer.

...

Gibbs paid the driver and exited the cab to be greeted by the rush of Downtown LA. The cars sat bumper-to-bumper as people rushed to and fro. Gibbs looked up at the skyscraper he was planning to enter and mentally created a strategy. He did a quick sweep with his eyes to make sure he wasn't followed by any LAPD members and when he was satisfied, he entered the building.

The story inside was no different. Men and women in suits sped past Gibbs carrying briefcases and holding their cellphones in their ear. Gibbs flashed his badge to the front desk and was given a floor number and directed to the elevators. As he left for the cable car, the man at the frog desk picked up his phone and started dialing.

Just as he was about to knock on a door on the 17th floor, the door opened and revealed Bill Adams on the other side of the frame.

"Glad you could call before visiting," Bill said sarcastically.

"I take it three minutes wasn't enough for you to hide your skeletons? And here I was, thinking that you deliberately pressed all the buttons to make me stop on every floor," responded Gibbs, with a half smile. Bill let out a howl and signaled for Gibbs to enter and took his seat behind the desk. Gibbs walked into his office, noticing the interior did not match the exterior. The skyscraper and everything he had seen in it was modern: modern chairs, new computers, flatscreens, and anything else that's from the twenty-first century. But in Bill's office, everything looked old and there was no televisions or a sleek telephone. Gibbs noticed a corded handset and raised his eyebrow at it.

Bill, following his gaze, said,

"I find it more reliable than those wireless ones. And if you notice, my computer isn't hooked up to the network. So it sits there, unused. Every year when we open up the 17th floor for a field trip, some teacher always suggest I network it. Even that one time when my office was documented for a segment on PBS, I was asked why I didn't network it. Then I became known as the man ready for the end of the world from machines."

Gibbs smiled, knowing what it feels like to be encouraged to use new technology. The number of broken cell phones McGee had to fix was too high for him to remember. Bill realized he had been talking and allowed Gibbs to have the floor.

"I don't do this, but I'm here as a courtesy. My team found a connection between you, Mr. Murray, and Mr. Thomas that was buried deep. You need to tell me everything you know or I'll let the LAPD handle it."

Bill's posture slumped as he leaned back into his chair. He rubbed his invisible mustache and got up to retrieve a file. After finding the right folder, he dropped it on the desk in front of Gibbs. Gibbs shook his head and said,

"I didn't bring my glasses, so you will need to tell me."

"It was an accident. I wasn't drinking that much I swear. But I gave up drinking that same night. I haven't touched a drink since."

"That still doesn't tell me what happened."

"Fine, do you want me to say it? I side-swiped Mr. Murray's parked car and I kept going. I guess I got injured because I had blood all over me. The alcohol must have diminished the pain. But I gave up drinking that night."

"I guess you gave up a little too late, huh?" stated Gibbs, hinting at his separation with Sharon. He got up and thanked Bill before making his way back to Major Crimes.

"Don't tell Sharon please...I need to be the one to tell her."

Gibbs agreed and closed the door.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** This is a short chapter. So I'll upload the next one too. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

* * *

"I can't believe I am stuck in this van because Captain Raydor asked us to follow Gibbs," complained Provenza. Flynn shrugged, knowing she didn't ask him _directl_y.

"Quiet, here he comes out of the building," Tao said, looking into his binoculars. Buzz began documenting and informed Sanchez and Sykes. Gibbs noticed the unmarked surveillance van across the street and smirked. He began walking casually, acting as if he was unaware of being followed. Sanchez and Sykes followed a few people behind before the crowd in front of them stopped, causing a commotion. Gibbs quickly crossed the street, taking advantage of the chaos he caused, and lost his tail.

"We lost visual," Buzz spoke into the microphone. The team jumped when they heard a knocking on the van. Buzz looked around before crossing the divider into the front of the car to open the door.

"Saw you guys looking for me," Gibbs said casually. Buzz could only make room for the man to enter the van. Flynn, Provenza, and Tao looked surprised and quickly turned off the equipment.

"No need to hide, I know Sharon doesn't trust me," said Gibbs.

"Actually this wasn't sanctioned by _Captain_Raydor, she has no idea we are out here," Flynn said matter-of-factly.

"Wait what? Then how did you get her to sign off on getting the equipment out?" Buzz asked, trying not to freak out.

"I forged it," answered Flynn.

"What? We've got to go back or else we all could lose our jobs!" yelled Buzz, gathering the equipment to put away. Provenza and Tao glared at Flynn before helping Buzz pack. Gibbs left the squad to deal with their issues and exited the van, only to run into Sanchez and Sykes. He gave them a crooked smile and hailed a cab.

...

"Agent Gibbs, could you come into my office please?" Captain Raydor asked, only popping her head out the door. Gibbs nodded and walked to her office.

"Where did you go? I tried calling you but it seems you left your phone here," she said, holding up his phone, "and what was so important that you took my squad with you?"

"I didn't want to be reached and you will have to ask your team that."

"Look Agent Gibbs, I know you don't follow rules," she paused to see him roll his eyes, "but I would appreciate it if you kept me in the loop as much as possible." She handed him his phone and Gibbs got up to leave.

"Agent Gibbs, I'm sorry," she whispered. He opened the door, turned around, and saw a flash of sadness in her eyes. Gibbs figured Sharon wasn't one to sit on her hands so she must have requested a report on him.

"Me too," he offered and left her office.

...

"Hey Boss, we looked into the story Adams gave and it corresponds with the security tape McGee found. The only thing we couldn't understand is why Murray would kill over a side view mirror. So I found-" DiNozzo was cut off by the sound of someone grabbing the phone.

"Actually Gibbs, _I _found the missing lock," Ziva misspoke, "link, lock, whatever, Tony. We have been looking at the wrong person. Ducky said the victim had no abuse and with what Major Crimes suggested, Mr. Murray doesn't have a daughter. But guess who did?"

"Did?" Gibbs asked to clarify.

"Yep, Mr. Thomas had a daughter and it says she died the same night the accident happened."

"It would explain the kidnapping, but not the other murders. Good work, go get some sleep," he said, knowing it was creeping close to midnight in Virginia. He opened his desk drawer and holstered his weapon. Gibbs decided it was time to pay Mr. Thomas a visit.


	11. Chapter 11

Gibbs asked to be dropped off a few houses before Mr. Thomas' and paid the driver. He rubbed his hands together for some sort of warmth and headed for the suspect's house. He walked onto the porch and knocked on the door.

"Mr. Thomas, NCIS!"

When no one answered, Gibbs decided to look through the window and found the lights were off. He stepped off the porch and onto the lawn to look at the second floor. Everything was silent except for the sound of an American flag waving in the wind.

Gibbs heard movement from the bushes nearby and pulled out his flashlight. He approached the bushes and put his hand on his gun, ready to draw. As if his gut took over his brain, he drew his gun and turned around only to see a man holding a sawed-off shotgun.

"NCIS! Put down your weapon Simon!" Gibbs ordered, maintaining his stance.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Simon responded, "I've come to far to go to prison."

Gibbs realized he was fighting a losing battle and lowered his weapon.

"Alright, let's just talk then. Tell me about your daughter."

Simon stared at Gibbs over his shotgun. He looked surprised that he easily lowered his weapon, hoping to draw his fire.

"She turned 21 that night. We had it all planned out for her birthday; Murray and I were going to pick her up from a party. Then we were going to drive to Disneyland and ride the rides all night...but because that _lawyer_ hit our car, we couldn't pick her up and take her to the hospital because someone drugged her. She died on the lawn by herself."

Gibbs only nodded, he couldn't offer any words that would help Simon at this point.

"So when I saw him on that stupid documentary I snapped. This man went on and on about his kids and I didn't think it was fair that he gets to have his daughter when he took mine away. So I took her."

Simon's logic was far fetched, seeing as Bill didn't directly drug her. But Gibbs understood what it felt like to be rendered helpless.

"It doesn't have to be like this. We can get you help," Gibbs offered, slowly shifting his way toward the sidewalk. Simon followed him with his shotgun.

"It's too late. There is no help for me. I'm all alone now! My wife and my daughter died; my son's body is being flown back tonight, courtesy of the Navy."

Gibbs looked at the flapping American flag. It was clear that Simon had anger towards the Navy and that was motive.

"Is that why you also killed those sailors?"

"'Also killed?' I didn't kill anyone!"

But before he could investigate further, Gibbs's head turned to see a lone, angry Sharon Raydor running into the ticking time bomb. Simon's eyes followed his gaze and then brought up his gun.

Sharon was met at the corner by a wall and the array of gun fire.

...

When she came to, she felt as if a football player tackled her and was still under the pile of players, holding onto the football. The only difference was that the football player was Gibbs and the football she was holding onto was her gun.

She used whatever power she had to roll the man off of her, thinking their current position could be compromising. When she succeeded, she sat up and looked at Gibbs.

"Oh my-"

She quickly scrambled to the wounded man, putting her gun down and her hands on his bleeding abdomen. Gibbs groaned at the pressure and looked at the familiar woman lurking over him. He moved his hands to try to touch her face,

"Shannon?"

Sharon took his hand, hiding the fact that his prognosis doesn't look so good.

"Shannon, your hand is bleeding. Are you okay? Where's Kelly?"

Sharon's eyes watered at Gibbs' confusion. How was she suppose to tell a man she met only days ago that his wife and daughter died over almost a decade ago.

"I'm okay, she's okay too. Let's just worry about yourself first," she managed to say.

"Just-don't leave me again please."

Sharon nodded as she was pushed away by the medics. She made her way to the porch and sat down on the steps. Flynn looked up from the dead suspect and walked over to Sharon.

"So where were you, Captain?" he scoffed, talking about her desire to approach the premise from a different direction. Sharon looked up to face Flynn, angry that he could be sarcastic at a time like this. She didn't have the energy to deal with him, so she put her hands up in defeat. Flynn looked at her hands and his eyes flashed concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked, grabbing her wrists to indicate what he meant, "Were you hit?" He frantically looked at her body, searching for any bleeding. When he was satisfied, he asked where she got the blood.

"He's been shot," she answered.

"Well we did empty our clips into the guy after he fired first. We're lucky no one got hit," Flynn said, oblivious to what she meant. She shook her head and looked at the direction of where Gibbs still laid, under the hands of medics. Flynn followed her gaze and everything clicked. His mind was still pumped on adrenaline and it prevented him from realizing there were medics hovering over a man. He did a quick scan of the team and sighed a breathe of relief when he counted the correct number of heads. When he realized who it was, he asked,

"Did he get caught in the crossfire?"

"No, he saved my life."

...

The medics finally put Gibbs on the stretcher and a paramedic ran over to Sharon,

"Captain Raydor, we're not positive, but we think he's asking for you."

Sharon nodded and followed the medic to the stretcher.

"He didn't kill them," Gibbs said, looking at Sharon's eyes. Sharon wanted to ask what he meant but the medics had to transport him to the hospital and there was no space for her in the back. As he was being pushed into the back of the ambulance, he shouted,

"Take care of Kelly!"

The medics closed the back and sped off with the sirens on to the hospital.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** This chapter will occur in the same time frame as last chapter's except from Gibbs' POV. Sorry for being sluggish at updating...school. HAHA. sigh.

* * *

He saw Sharon Raydor running towards trouble. He had a split second to act, knowing that Simon will fire at the corner, no matter who it was. Gibbs took off as fast as his body will let him. He lunged toward Sharon, wrapping his arm around her but exposing his chest to the shooter. The sound of the shotgun going off echoed in his ear. He felt the air get knocked out of him, like a linebacker tackling a quarterback. Using his free arm, he attempted to break both of their falls. His arm will pay for that tomorrow, he thought.

Gibbs tried getting up, but the sharp pain in his abdomen protested. Great, he thought, if someone sees them in this position, they will never hear the end of it. Suddenly, as if Sharon read his mind, he felt hands on his shoulders and was rolled onto the sidewalk. Gibbs groaned at the lack of pressure on his abdomen, the pain getting worse by the second. Out of his peripheral, he saw Sharon get up and his head felt worse than the time when an oil barrel blew up in front of him.

He heard someone gasp and felt sudden pressure on his stomach. A familiar looking woman entered his line of sight. He reached towards her, thinking she was Shannon.

"Shannon?" he asked to clarify. She took his hand and he assumed it was her. Gibbs noticed her hand was bleeding and he thought the worse.

"Shannon, your hand is bleeding. Are you okay?" he asked, suddenly looking at his surroundings, "where's Kelly?"

"I'm okay, she's okay too. Let's just worry about yourself first."

Gibbs' eyes flashed confusion, not aware of what happened. He saw her eyes began to water and felt guilty for making her cry. He always seem to be the reason for Shannon crying.

"Just-don't leave me again please," he pleaded, feeling bad for leaving her at the train station when he enlisted. He saw her nod before being pushed away by the medics.

"Agent Gibbs, you've been shot. Do you know where you are?" asked a medic.

"Where's Shannon?" he asked weakly. The medic looked at her partner and signaled towards the porch. They didn't know Captain Raydor's first name but assumed he was asking for her since she was with him.

Gibbs felt the added pressure on his abdomen, groaning in pain. Then a needle entered his arm and his headache slowly diminished.

"I need to talk to her," he stated, as strongly as he could. The medic nodded and counted to three before lifting him onto the stretcher. The bright lights shining from the back of the ambulance hurt his eyes. He desperately wants to close them but knows he has to stay awake to tell Sharon what he learned.

Gibbs saw her approach the stretcher and tried his best to maintain eye contact with her.

"He didn't kill them," he said, maintaining eye contact to show his seriousness. The medics, deciding that was enough, rolled him into the back of the ambulance. The lights became too much for his head to handle, creating confusion within his mind.

"Take care of Kelly!" he screamed, hoping to alert anyone of her presence. Then he decided he couldn't handle the lights anymore and closed his eyes.

...

The sound of seagulls squawking alerted Gibbs to his surroundings. He was sprawled across the sand and the waves crashed against his feet. He slowly sat up, trying to spare the pain in his abdomen.

Gibbs looked up and saw an offered hand and took it. When he got to his feet, he saw who it was.

"Mike!" Gibbs exclaimed, happy to see his old mentor and friend.

"Hey Probie, looks like you bit the big one this time," he said, pointing to his multiple holes. Gibbs nodded and shrugged.

"Bastard got me good. Could be worse," indicating he could of had a bigger hole. Suddenly his vision was interrupted by the flash of a bright light.

"Is it always like this?" Gibbs asked, clearly distracted by the flashes. He looked around when Mike didn't answer and realized he was alone. Another bright flash occurred and Gibbs closed his eyes.

...

Gibbs' eyes opened, to reveal the bright ambulance lights above him. He took few seconds to gather his bearings and remembered what happened: he had been shot and is en route to the hospital.

"His BP's stabilizing," one of the medics reported. The medic sighed a breath of relief, glad that the electric shocks did their jobs. The voice snapped him back into reality, his other four senses coming back to life.

He tried lifting himself up, hoping to show the medics he was alright. He was able to lift his head and neck before his abdomen resisted, feeling bruised and sore. He grimaced and fell back on the stretcher.

"How bad?" Gibbs' throat managed to cough up. The female medic didn't answer but the look on her face told him all he needed. He sighed in defeat and closed his eyes. The constant beeping from the heart monitor lulled him to sleep.

...

"Welcome back Probie," Mike's scratchy voice said. Gibbs opened an eye to see his former boss sitting next to him and sat up. He simply nodded and stood up and brushed the sand off his pants.

"Are we in Mexico?"

"Well I'm in Mexico, but you're only visiting."

"I wouldn't mind it here, heck, I lived here a few years ago."

"Yeah, well it isn't the right time. Besides there is no space for you here." As if called, the door to Mike's house opened and out came running Kelly. Gibbs froze in confusion before running towards his daughter. He hugged her, the same way he last hugged her before deploying to Iraq. At the same time, a fierce wind blew and slammed shut the door.

...

The slamming of the door woke Gibbs up, except it was the medics opening the door. They rolled him off the ambulance and into the hospital. Furious at the interruption, he sat up, ignoring the pain in his stomach. He moved his hand to pull out his IVs before being stopped by another pair of hands. Trying to free his hand, he pushed off the medic's hand and took the opportunity to get off the stretcher. The adrenaline from the situation conjured memories from when he was deployed to Iraq and he became defensive. He looked around, seeing enemies in each direction. When he saw men holding guns, he realized he was defeated and stood straight, hoping to maintain whatever shred of dignity he had left.

"Agent Gibbs, it's alright, you're safe now," one medic said as they slowly approached him.

"The United States won't negotiate with terrorists, so you can kill me now," he stated, as strongly as he could. A nearby doctor overheard him and walked over to him.

"You're a Gunny, right?" he asked and Gibbs nodded, "I'm Dr. Cottle, and you're in the Ronald Reagan Hospital here in L.A."

"They got you working for them, right Doc?" Gibbs scoffed. At that moment, a sharp pain went through his abdomen and he fell to his knees. The medics and nurses rushed toward him and helped him onto the stretcher.

"Get him to Trauma 1 and prep an OR. We'll have to get in there and fix him as soon as possible," Dr. Cottle ordered, before shaking his head and wishing he had a cigarette.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** I agree with you Tom, about the whole memory thing. haha thanks for the review (: And I couldn't resist the good ole' Doc Cottle, CicadaOne hehe. Hope you guys enjoy! It'll be a little bit before the next one...darn term paper/procrastination! lol.

* * *

Sharon Raydor stared at her phone and contemplated what to say to NCIS Director, Leon Vance. It never gets easier making the calls, but it is even more difficult when they are on the side of the law. The night seemed to drag on forever for Sharon, whose shirt was still stained with Gibbs' dried up blood. She doesn't remember getting back to her office, but somehow she made it there safely. Suddenly, she remembered that she didn't pick up Rusty and abruptly stood up. Sharon walked out of her office and commanded the attention of her squad.

"Lieutenant Flynn, get me Director Vance on the line. Detectives Sanchez and Sykes, find me whatever you can about our dead suspect. Lieutenant Tao, phone, bank, credit records-whatever electronic footprint he left, I want it. And Lieutenant Provenza, find out what hospital Agent Gibbs is at, I want to be able to tell Director Vance where he's at."

When she finished, her team picked up their phones or began typing on their keyboards. Sharon walked back into her office and pulled our her iPhone to call Rusty. She looked to see an unread text message from him:

"I took the bus home, figured you will still be busy. I can take care of myself."

She smiled a small smile, glad to know he's safe. She still couldn't help but feel guilty, forgetting about Rusty and being so involved with the case at hand. Sharon decided to give him a call, even if it was 11 o'clock on a school night. He didn't pick up, meaning he was asleep, studying, or taking advantage of her absence and watching tv. He never did follow her rules when she was at work.

"Hey Rusty, sorry for calling so late. I got held up at work. Actually I'm still here and it looks like it is going to be a long night. But hopefully I'll be home before you wake. Anyway, good night Rusty."

Sharon ended her voicemail and sat down in her chair. She rubbed her temples, trying to make sense of what Gibbs told her. If Simon didn't commit those murders, then who did? This was a question she couldn't ask him. She was fortunate enough to have even found Gibbs, following the GPS she had Buzz plant in his cell phone. From what little she saw from the crime scene, Gibbs was talking to Simon before tackling her. But what were they talking about and why the need for secrecy? If only he had trusted her, then again, she didn't trust him. Sharon's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called, resuming her thoughts about the case.

"Captain," Chief Taylor greeted, "I don't need to remind you your personal interest in this case."

"Actually Chief," Sharon stood as she spoke, "as of right now, I'll be investigating the shooting of a federal agent before the FBI officially takes over. Until then, I will be pursuing any leads and if I find a personal connection, I need you to trust that I will remove myself."

Chief Taylor nodded annoyingly, knowing she had a point and exited her office. At the same time, Provenza walked in with news of Gibbs' location.

"Gibbs is out of surgery, the doctor said it was successful but he's not a psychic," said Provenza, quoting the doctor.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I'm going down there now to see if I can get any information as to why Gibbs was there in the first place. In the meantime, keep me posted."

He nodded and left Sharon's office to let her pack. Flynn turned his head to look through her office windows. Rarely had he seen Sharon Raydor distraught and the only time he had, was when her daughter went missing. Even when she learned of her death, she maintained a strong face. Flynn felt his face flush with jealousy, knowing that Gibbs affected her like that. As she headed for her door, he quickly turned his head and looked at the cord running from the phone in his ear.

"I'll be at the Ronald Reagan Hospital if anyone needs me," Sharon announced to her team as she headed for the elevators. Flynn took the opportunity to turn around and observe her facial expression: strong and stiff again.

"Okay thank you," he said into the phone before hanging it up, "Captain!" He rushed to meet her at the cable car, hoping to talk to her.

Sharon turned to see Flynn walking towards her. She mentally sighed, still slightly annoyed at his attitude earlier this evening.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"I just got off with the LA office of NCIS and they told me that they'll call Vance and have him call you in the morning since it's almost 3 in Virginia. I didn't tell them what it was regarding but I told them it was important."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Sharon said, waiting for more information, "will that be all?"

"Actually I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier, it was uncalled for. I should have been more observant."

"Never apologize, it's a sign of weakness," she said, as if it rolled naturally off her tongue. Flynn offered her a small, yet slightly confused smile. She smiled back, brushing it off as if she always had that rule.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the hospital."

"Sure no problem, Captain. Oh, and you should change your shirt."

"Excuse me?"

"You have dried blood on it."

"Oh right," Sharon laughed, trying to hide her embarrassment, "thank you Lieutenant." The elevator doors opened and she smiled at Flynn before going in.

...

Ding! The elevator doors opened to present Sharon a pathway to Gibbs' room. She received instructions from a nurse but could only remember his room number, 5321. She looked at the floor map and planned her route to her destination. It was already fast approaching 1, the hospital being a long way from station. With a new fresh shirt, Sharon opened the door to Gibbs' room and entered.

"He'll be in and out of consciousness," said the doctor, "I'm Dr. Cottle."

"Thank you doctor," Sharon replied, "I'm Captain Raydor and it is nice to meet you."

"Likewise. He gave us a hell of a scare in there, first freaking out and then his heart stopping a few times. Stubborn bastard wouldn't quit though, I'll give him that."

"Do you know when he will wake up?"

"Well knowing how stubborn he is, whenever he damn pleases," the doctor said, not caring about his language. He removed a cigarette packet from his pocket and offered them to Sharon. She shook her head and the Dr. Cottle left to smoke outside. She was certain if there weren't any rules, he'd be smoking while caring for patients. Thank goodness for rules, she thought.

"Wait, Dr. Cottle," she called out, prompting the seasoned doctor to turn around, "you said he was freaking out, may I ask what about?"

"It seemed that his mind was overseas, screaming that 'the United States doesn't negotiate with terrorists' and such."

"Do you think he will have some sort of amnesia? It's odd how he has a head trauma when his abdomen was shot."

"Well the body has its own way with coping stress. And for his memory, I'm not a psychic."

Sharon smiled, understanding the man's desire to avoid false hope. She thanked the good doctor and went to open the curtain which hid Gibbs from sight. What she saw didn't surprise her at all, he seemed like he was sleeping and hadn't been shot. Except his facial expressions seem to show him being in peace, something which she had never seen before. Gibbs' left hand was in a sling, presumably sprained in his attempt to break their fall.

Sharon decided there wasn't much to do while he slept, so she pulled up a chair and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she found light shining from the windows and a blanket draped over her. A nurse must have checked on Gibbs and saw her sleeping, she thought. Speaking of Gibbs, his eyes were still closed. Sharon checked her watch, which read a quarter till 6, and realized she had to take Rusty to school. She rose and folded the blanket neatly and placed it on the chair.

"Leaving already?"

Sharon nearly fell into the chair but caught herself. She turned around to see Gibbs' head turned towards her yet his eyes were still closed.

"I figured you were still sleeping and I didn't want to disturb you," Sharon replied, sheepishly.

"No, I was listening to the LA traffic and you snoring," he said as he opened his eyes.

"I do not snore," she said defensively.

"If you say so," he responded, before turning his head to face the ceiling, "how bad is it?"

"Dr. Cottle told me that you'll live, unfortunately."

Gibbs let out a small laughter, before wincing in pain. Sharon offered an apologetic smile. This was nice, she thought, finally being able to see a different, more humanly side of Gibbs.

"I called you 'Shannon,' didn't I?" He stated more than asking. Sharon nodded her head, already forgiving him in her thoughts.

"It's fine, you just got shot and everything happened so quickly."

Gibbs kept his gaze on the ceiling, glad he didn't need to explain further. The two sat in comfortable silence as Gibbs' heart monitor continued beeping away.

"So do you remember everything?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, don't worry. My body copes differently after all the stress I put it through. Plus being piped up on drugs was no help either," he chuckled, glad to not have another memory lapse.

"I'm glad to hear that," her words getting quieter. She knew she would have to investigate him but didn't want to question him so soon.

"Weren't you going to go?" He asked, as if he read her mind and wanted to avoid the situation too. She nodded and waved her good-bye, telling him she'll visit later in the day. He acknowledged her farewell and turned to look out the window. His eyes began to water, thinking of Shannon, but he refused to let them fall.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note**: Woo! I actually wrote more than 2,000 words. Haha. Enjoy! (Hopefully haha)

* * *

Sharon opened the door to her apartment and set her keys, badge, and gun down on the table. She found a note from Rusty, which read there was a plate of pancakes in the fridge for her. She smiled, proud of the man the boy was becoming. She headed for her room, needing to shower and freshen up before heading to work again. It was going to be a long day for her.

...

"Hello, could one of you officers show me the way to Captain Raydor's office?"

The squad looked up to see a man dressed in a clean suit. Provenza turned to Flynn with a confused look and Flynn returned a shrug.

"I'm NCIS Director Leon Vance and I would like to see your superior officer right now."

Lieutenant Tao swiveled in his seat to look through Sharon's windows. He turned around and shook his head to Provenza.

"I'm sorry, it appears she is not in right now," Provenza spoke as he stood up, "if you don't mind, we'll have Buzz escort you to the break room-"

"Don't bother Lieutenant," boomed a voice down the hall, "hello Director, I'm Chief Taylor and why don't we talk in my office?"

Vance shook his head, "I'm tired of talking. I get an urgent call from the L.A. office, and going through some back channels, that one of my agents have been shot. So I hope you don't get offended if I say that I want to know where he's staying and then we can talk."

Julio suppressed laughter and looked at Amy, whose eyes were widened with surprise that someone had stood up to Chief Taylor. Flynn immediately decided he liked Vance and stood up to offer information.

"He's staying at the Ronald Reagan Hospital. I can take you if you would like," Flynn said. Vance nodded and headed for the elevators, forcing Flynn to scramble and catch up with him.

"Feds," scoffed Provenza, "always operating on their own time."

"Yes Lieutenant, and now you are operating on mine so I better see you doing actual police work as opposed to sitting and looking pretty," ordered Taylor, before heading back to his office.

...

Back at the hospital, Gibbs was trying to read a carpentry magazine when a knock interrupted him. He put down the magazine and saw it was Sharon and sat up, completely forgetting about his abdomen. He winced in pain and gave up, falling back down onto the pillow and letting out a breath. It also didn't help that one of his arms was temporarily disabled.

Sharon put down her tumbler of coffee and helped Gibbs to sit up. The aroma of coffee hit a nerve in Gibbs and reminded him he hadn't had his fix in a while.

"That's not for me, is it?" He asked, hoping to be wrong. Sharon smiled and shook her head, and to tease him further, she took a sip. Gibbs rolled his eyes and smiled.

"So what's in the bag?"

Sharon, completely forgetting about the bag slung on her shoulder, removed the bag, "It's your stuff. I went by the hotel since it was on the way and I figured you would want some stuff like your glasses."

Gibbs pointed at the magazine and made a face before taking the glasses. Sharon set the bag by Gibbs feet and took her seat in the chair.

"So, want to tell me why you were confronting Simon alone?"

"I found some information pertaining to the case and wanted to check it out. Things escalated and here I am."

"What kind of things?"

"I'm not the right person for that question."

"Okay then, who is?"

"You know who."

Sharon sat back, reeling in her thoughts. In her gut, she knew she would have to ask Bill, especially since Simon's name was familiar. But with Gibbs' secrecy, it only confirmed her instincts.

"So how did you find me?" Gibbs asked, turning the tables on her.

"There's this thing we like to call technology and GPS," she smirked in response.

"I could have you arrested you know?"

"True, but who would have brought you your stuff?" Sharon joked, trying to stray away from the subject since she was technically in the wrong.

"I'll forgive you this time."

"Thanks," she smiled, "so what did you mean by saying Simon didn't murder anyone?"

"He admitted to the kidnapping of your daughter but not to the murdering. I saw his eyes, he had genuine shock when I accused him of it."

"Did he say who did?"

"Damn, I knew I forgot to ask him something before running to save your life," he sarcastically responded, "if he had told me, I would have been off this bed and searching for the bastard who did. Instead I'm just lying here thinking about the case."

Sharon looked at the window, realizing what he said is true. She would do the same thing if it was her and a different case. They were on different ends of the spectrum but when it came to their jobs, both are equally committed to it, more than their personal lives.

With nothing else to say, Sharon sipped her coffee while Gibbs began properly reading the magazine. Gibbs put down his magazine not even reaching the second page. He removed his glasses and played with them in his free hand.

"I didn't meant it like that," he said. Gibbs wasn't quick to admit his being wrong, but talking to Sharon made him be different.

Sharon looked at him, "You're forgiven, Jethro. I know how hard it is for you to apologize."

"I didn't ask for your forgiveness, Sharon. And I can apologize...if I wanted to."

"Well you have it anyway. Then why not now?" She smiled as she grabbed a magazine off the table.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Let's see, I've been at work since yesterday morning and left here around 6 this morning, so I think I qualify for another few hours of rest," she answered, without looking up from her magazine.

Gibbs chuckled and put on his glasses to start his carpentry magazine.

...

Leon Vance walked into the room the nurse directed him to. Flynn followed, wondering if Sharon was still there.

"Glad to see you up, Gibbs," greeted Vance, "and you must be Captain Raydor, I'm NCIS Director Leon Vance."

"Nice to meet you Director," Sharon responded and she stood up from her chair, "how was your flight?"

"It was fine, thank you. Mind filling me in on what I missed here? Lieutenant Flynn told me about what has happened so far with the case in L.A."

As if on cue, Andy stepped from behind the curtain and into view. He saw Sharon had her hair pinned back so her bangs wouldn't fall into her face and in one hand, she held her coffee cup and in the other, a magazine that looked to be about art. He greeted his Captain and Agent Gibbs, who seemed busy with his own reading. Sharon gave him a slight acknowledgement by nodding her head while Gibbs looked up from his magazine.

"Hey Leon, what can I help you with?"

"Nothing really anymore, now that I have seen you up and functioning. I only came out here to calm Abby's nerves. I had to order her to stay and help the case."

Gibbs chuckled, knowing how much Abby cared for him. In a way, he felt like she was his grown up version of Kelly and has become very protective of her.

"Yeah, DiNozzo wasn't a big fan of staying in Virginia too. But I guess being the Director has its perks. Anyway, now that you're safe and sound, I can ease their minds. And also, I wish you a speedy recovery because I want you, and you guys too," he paused to look at Sharon and Flynn, "to solve this case."

Gibbs may never have liked Leon, but the man knew what to do. He nodded his thanks and wondered when he could get back to work. Leon excused himself, telling Flynn he will be outside the door and left. Flynn looked at Sharon with a curious eye and was about to say something, before following suit. Gibbs noticed his stare and looked over at Sharon, who was already consumed with her magazine.

"He was going to say something," Gibbs observed out loud. Sharon offered a "hmm," clearly not paying any attention. She continued reading her magazine and sipping her coffee before Gibbs finally had enough. He removed his blanket covers and forced himself to sit up, grimacing through the pain. Sharon gasped at the sight unraveling before her, hurriedly putting down her stuff. Gibbs carefully removed the wires going in and out of his body, triggering the alarms. Oh great, he thought, before swinging his feet over the edge and slowly making contact with the floor.

"What the hell is going on in here?" An angry, scratchy voice bellowed. The curtain was pulled back and it revealed a fairly grumpy looking Dr. Cottle.

"I can't stay here, Doc. I need to be working the case."

"Working the case my ass. I worked my ass off to save your life and you think I'll let you waltz on out of here? You're out of your damn mind!"

"Well then, I guess I am," Gibbs replied, stubbornly. He slowly began to rise and Sharon instinctively stood up and offered her arm. He waved her off, testing his balance and when he was comfortable, took a step towards his army bag at the end of the bed.

"Look see, I'm fine."

Dr. Cottle scoffed in defeat, knowing Gibbs is too stubborn to stay. He put his hands in his pockets, searching for a carton of cigarettes.

"Fine, I'll discharge you. But I want you to stay with someone just in case you rip your stitches." Gibbs started to protest before agreeing, knowing he wouldn't be able to stitch himself with only one hand.

"He can stay with me," Sharon offered before realizing what she had said. Gibbs looked surprised but quickly changed his face as if to say "duh." Dr. Cottle sighed and put his hands up in defeat. He took out his carton and went to calm his nerves.

"Good save," Gibbs said as he began looking for clothes to change into.

"What he said is true though. If you rip your stitches, you can't stitch yourself up," Sharon responded and made her way to his bag. Her presence forced Gibbs to remove his hand from the bag and she produced the set of clothes he was looking for. She handed him the fabric and went to gather her things to leave him to change. The sound of someone clearing a throat made her turn around. She saw Gibbs wearing a sympathetic face before realizing what he was asking.

"You're enjoying this already, aren't you?" She accused him.

"Hey, you offered to help," he answered, with a slight chuckle.

"Yes I did, I offered a place to stay, not help you change!" She sharply whispered, trying not to yell. Gibbs didn't say anything but laughed, forgetting about his pain. So when it hit him, he nearly doubled over before catching himself.

"Serves you right," said Sharon as she gave in to his request, takin his clothes from his hands, "I'm only helping with the shirt, you can get a nurse for the pants."

She moved away to allow him to sit on the bed. She untied his hospital gown and slowly weaved his injured arm through the loop before letting the gown fall to his waist. She winced at his abdomen, clearly riddled with bruising and a line with stitches. Dr. Cottle did a good stitch job, she noted. Sharon pulled his shirt onto his head and smiled when he made a face after his head popped out from the hole. He could be such a child sometimes, she thought. He helped her by putting his uninjured arm through the hole and decided to leave his arm slung underneath his shirt. Sharon took a step back to admire her handiwork and was satisfied. She gathered her stuff and closed the curtains behind her, giving him privacy.

"Not a bad choice," he said, looking at his USMC shirt. In what felt like forever for Gibbs, he finally emerged from the curtain barefoot. Sharon gave him a sarcastic smile and helped him with his shoes. When it was time to leave, she offered to take his bag but he insisted on holding it, some sort of gentleman's code she suspected.

...

"I'm not going into the headquarters," Gibbs hinted, "and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone I was discharged."

Sharon agreed, knowing where he was heading at. The ride back to her apartment was fairly quiet, with the occasional groan and grimace from Gibbs as she ran over little potholes.

...

"There's some food in the fridge and I will put your medications on the table," she said as she and Gibbs entered her apartment. He looked around, assessing the layout: it was simple yet modern and had "Sharon Raydor" all over it.

"I have programmed my number into your cell phone in case you need me while I'm at work."

Gibbs nodded and took her offer when she insisted he make himself at home. He sat on the couch, slowly sinking into his seat and relaxing. Sharon excused herself back to work and he closed his eyes, exhausted from all the walking.


	15. Chapter 15

The elevator opened and Sharon stepped out into the squad room. She looked around to see her team working diligently. Andy stood up and made his way towards her. She met him halfway and greeted him with a good afternoon.

"Good afternoon, Captain," he responded, "we're still trying to find a connection to our dead suspect and-"

"Is there anything solid you can give me to work with?" Sharon interrupted, not wanting the runaround.

Andy shook his head and asked, "How's Agent Gibbs?"

"He's doing find for somebody who got shot," she answered, hiding the fact that he's currently at her apartment sleeping on the couch. He wanted to give her a chance to dig into the investigation without running into "official" personal conflicts with the case. She knows it goes against all that she stands for, but it's her daughter. Andy nodded and returned to his desk.

Sharon went into her office and remembered what Gibbs said. She needed to talk to Bill about Simon and decided to call his office.

"Hello?"

"Hi Bill, this is Sharon."

"Hello Sharon, what can I help you with?"

...

When her phone call finished, she shakily put the receiver down. She had always known something forced Bill to stop drinking but he wouldn't tell her. Until now. Never before had she felt this kind of anger, the one where it builds up inside, threatening to burn a hole through her chest. She wanted to shove whatever was on her desk onto the floor. But she couldn't. She can't afford to lose her composure and let her walls fall down. When she let Rusty in, she knew what it was like to be hit where it hurts, with him yelling at her, claiming she wanted him gone. Right now she felt the same way, except this time it was Bill's doing. Even after being separated, he still manages to find a way to hurt her. One part of her wants to blame him, blame him for the loss of their daughter. The other part tells her it isn't his fault that Simon's daughter was drugged. Either way, she couldn't think straight.

Sharon closed the blinds to her office, keeping a straight face while doing so. She caught Andy looking at her and he silently asked if she was okay. She kept her appearance and closed the blind that was allowing him to look at her. Walking over to her door, she leaned against it and buried her face into her hands.

A knock on her door forced her to stand up and she dabbed her eyes. Expecting it to be Andy, she opened the door with a burrowed eyebrow and to her surprise, it was Lieutenant Tao.

"Hi Captain," he greeted, suddenly aware of her facial expression, "I can come back later if you need me too..."

"No no, that is not necessary Lieutenant Tao. What can I help you with?"

"I've found an interesting connection between our dead guy and his employee, Mr. Murray."

He handed her the file and she thanked him. She closed the door before he could make any further comments. Sharon sat in her chair and opened the file. It was full of numbers and figures and she wished she hadn't sent Tao away so fast. Oh well, she thought, she had made it this far in her career based on her investigative skills. The paper had a list of numbers: each had nine digits, along with names. Social security numbers, she concluded. The only name she recognized was Trent Murray, or Mr. Murray. Sharon pulled up a website and typed in the other names. Lo and behold, their driver's license revealed to be of the same person: Mr. Murray. Now it is up to her and her squad to find out why he has multiple identities.

Suddenly, her computer flashed a warning sign and it shut off. Great, she thought, exactly what she needed. Then her phone rang and she answered it.

"Captain Raydor."

"Captain, what are you doing searching Mr. Murray?" Agent Howard asked.

"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking," she answered, "and he's a suspect in my investigation at the moment."

"Whatever it is, it isn't possible because he was with the FBI all night yesterday."

"That's fantastic to know he's a federal witness, but I'm not only interested in last night, Agent Howard."

"You don't understand, Captain-"

"No, you don't understand Agent Howard. I'm in the middle of an investigation where a federal agent was shot and I will not have the FBI interfere with it," she said, slamming her receiver down.

Sharon knew she shouldn't have been so rude to Agent Howard. He was simply doing what his boss wanted him to do. But so far she has been running on little sleep and her back aching from sleeping in a chair. She had no time to dance around the FBI's feelings. She gathered the report Lieutenant Tao gave her and exited her office.

...

"Lieutenant Tao, what's the connection between this list of Social Security Numbers and Simon Thomas? And don't bother looking them up. I did and got a call from the FBI," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm glad you asked Captain, because these numbers are Social Security Numbers, but they also match the names of the victims in the murders back in Virginia."

Sharon's eyes widened when he told her that. She wasn't one to remember the victims' names, but after being called out by Andy, she's been trying. Unfortunately the death of her daughter made her forgetful.

"Let me guess, Simon was the one who made the multiple identities for Trent Murray?"

"I'm still not sure, Captain. I've been looking for any connections but so far it all points to Trent doing it by himself. We're trying to figure out why they were together in the first place."

Suddenly, as if Detective Sanchez was listening, he butted into their conversation.

"I think I got it, Captain."

"You think, or you know?" she asked.

"I found it odd that our dead suspect was friends with a guy younger than him, so I dug into Mr. Murray's past and found a high school yearbook," he answered, opening to a "Senior Appreciations" page, "and look who got voted for best couple."

Sharon looked down and tapped the photo of Murray and a girl who looked too much alike Simon Thomas She looked at Julio, gave him a thumbs up, and left him with a good job. She barely made it into her office when her cell phone rang, giving herself a bit of surprise.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hello?" the voice on the other line whispered back.

"Hello?" she asked, louder, "Who is this?" She should not have answered the phone so absent-mindedly.

"It's Rusty," he answered, trying to be quiet.

"Why are we whispering?" she changed her volume, "are you still in school?"

"What? No. School got out thirty minutes ago. But I just got home now..." he said, deliberately drifting off at the end.

Suddenly she remembered Gibbs was staying at her apartment and she dropped the report in her hands.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing, I totally forgot," she answered, picking the report up, "okay, well don't do anything. I'll be there in a fifteen minutes. And Rusty? Whatever you do, don't wake him up."

"I'll try," he muttered.

...

Sharon turned the knob to her apartment slowly, afraid of what she'll find on the other side. She peeked into the apartment and saw Rusty leaning against the wall with his arms folded. With an apologetic face, she opened the door and was surprised to see Gibbs up and leaning against the sofa. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen.

"Alright Rusty, let me explain," she began. He uncrossed his arms and stood up straight.

"Why haven't you introduced me to him before?" he interrupted, gesturing to where Gibbs was standing.

"Well, if you'd let me explain," she started over, "he's only been here—"

Her explanation again was interrupted by Rusty, except this time with a hug.

"He's awesome," he said near her ear, with the biggest smile on his face.

Sharon pulled back from the hug and held the boy at arm's length and gave him a curious look. She looked over to Gibbs to see he too was smiling at her, or at her confusion. Rusty turned away from her and walked over to Gibbs.

"Did you know his name is Leroy Jethro? He was named after his dad's friend when they were fighting in the war!"

Sharon looked at Rusty's face and she had never seen him as happy as the time when Daniel Dunn signed away his parental rights. If she had to be honest right now, his face reminded her of her children's during Christmas morning. Who was she kidding, she considered Rusty as one of her kids.

"Really? He hasn't told me anything of that nature since he's been here," she responded, giving Gibbs an accusing glare.

"You never asked," Gibbs replied, as if that was all it took.

"Yeah!" Rusty exclaimed, "And he has a basement back in Virginia where he builds boats and stuff by hand!"

"How do you get the boat out of the basement?" Sharon asked, interested.

Gibbs simply shrugged, just like he always does when someone asks him that question. He'd explain, but that would mean talking and that is something he doesn't do much. His silence intrigued Sharon even more: he was open and willing to talk at the hospital and she wonder what changed.

"Now why would you not give me an answer when I ask?" She asked, putting her hands on her hip, slightly annoyed at his behavior.

"Give the guy a break," interrupted Rusty, "sometimes he doesn't feel like explaining," he continued, knowing what it feels like to be interrogated about his past. Gibbs agreed by nodding his head and walked to sit on the couch. Rusty joined him a few seconds later and flipped on the television to a western movie.

"You like westerns?" asked Gibbs.

"I don't mind them," he answered.

Sharon looked in disbelief to see Rusty already bonding with a man he had barely met. It took him a while to trust the male team members and here he was, watching a western with Gibbs. She wondered what made the man so easily like able.

"You should join us," Rusty said, interrupting her thoughts. He shifted to his left so that there was space in between him and Gibbs for Sharon to sit.

"I can't. I have work," she replied sheepishly.

"Come on, Sharon! You always have work. What's the whole point of having a squad if you are going to be working all the time?" Rusty whined.

"Well, each member brings their own set of skills. But I suppose I can relax for an hour before going back to work," she said as she made her way to the couch. Slowly, she planted herself in between the two guys and slumped into the couch with a sigh.

...

No more than fifteen minutes into the movie did Gibbs realize both Sharon and Rusty were sleeping. He smiled at the sight next to him: Rusty sleeping on Sharon's shoulder whose head rested against Rusty's. He searched for a blanket to no avail and got up to grab one from what he assumed to be a bedroom. Gibbs opened the door to see a neat, dark espresso-colored room. It was like the rest of the apartment: simple yet modern. He wondered whose room it is until he saw a backpack and figured it was Rusty's. Grabbing the blanket on the bed, he went to the living room and covered them with the blanket. He sat back down and continued watching the movie.

Suddenly he felt some movement and discomfort on his left shoulder. Gibbs turned his head to see Sharon resting on him. Slightly uncomfortable with the weight on his injured arm, he slowly removed his arm from his sling and put it behind her head, causing her to sink deeper into his body. Even though they had just met, Gibbs related to Sharon, refusing to let anyone in after their daughter's death. But unlike him, she had people who cared for her, like Andy, and he was glad for that. He knew what it was like to be alone after his death and he wouldn't want to wish it upon anyone. If only Sharon could see Andy's good intentions, he thought.

...

"Sharon?" Gibbs said as he removed his arm from behind her head, "Sharon, it's been an hour."

Sharon opened her eyes to see her apartment slanted diagonally. When she realized why, she sat up straight, hiding her embarrassment. She looked at Gibbs, who was busy watching the movie as if nothing happened. Sharon looked at the sling on the coffee table and realized she had slept on his sprained arm.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Gibbs. You should have wakened me, I hope I didn't make your arm worse," apologized Sharon.

"It's fine Sharon, you need your rest. And never apologize."

Sharon offered another apologetic smile and ran her fingers through her hair. She realized she was covered in a blanket and Rusty was still sleeping.

"Where'd you get the blanket?"

"I found it in Rusty's room."

"Ah," she responded, now curious if he gave her the blanket at the hospital. As she spoke to ask, her cell phone rang and the caller ID said it was Andy. She looked at Gibbs and offered another apologetic smile. Gibbs merely shrugged and continued watching the movie.

"Captain Raydor."

"Hi Captain, this is Lieutenant Flynn. We've caught another break in the case. Tao did some digging and found the girl in the photo was Simon's daughter. But it turns out she died when she was 18. The M.E. said the cause of death was drug overdose."

"And there's our connection. Good job Lieutenant Flynn," she praised him.

"Is everything alright with Rusty?" Andy asked with concern, "I saw you run out of the office as if it was on fire."

"Oh yes," she laughed, "everything is alright. Thanks Lieutenant."

"Anytime," he responded before saying goodbye and hanging up.

"He cares about you, you know?" Gibbs stated, much to Sharon's surprise.

"I'm married," she said and shook her head at his implied meaning.

"But separated," he responded, stating the obvious.

"I'm Catholic," convincing herself more than him.

Gibbs nodded and turned his head to watch the movie.

"Besides," she continued, "it would make Bill suspicious that I ask for a divorce now rather than twenty years ago."

"Did you talk to him?"

She nodded her answer and looked at Rusty sleeping next to her.

"I'm not having this discussion anymore," she finally said, exhausted from thinking about it, "I have to go back to work, so if you're hungry, ask Rusty to make you something. He's an excellent cook."

"I'm fine with pizza."

"Okay, there's some pizza delivery around the neighborhood. The number's on the refrigerator," she informed him as she headed for the door, "good-bye Gibbs, see you tonight."

Gibbs merely nodded his head and went to put his sling back on.

"Who cares about Sharon?"

"You heard that?"

"Yeah, I've been up since the moment you put the blanket on us. And you have literally no emotion when watching movies. It's weird."

Gibbs chuckled lightly, wondering if this is what it would have been like if Kelly was still alive today.

"And why did you put your arm around her?" He asked, suddenly protective of the woman he has come to consider as his mom.

"Ever sprain your arm and have someone put pressure on it? Hurts like a bitch."

"So are you going to tell her that she basically hugged you in her sleep?"

"No," he laughed, "she's been through a lot and she needs a shoulder to lean on, even if it is my beat up one. It doesn't mean anything, she and I know it."

Rusty nodded skeptically but accepted his answer. His stomach growled and he looked at Gibbs who agreed with him and the two ordered pizza.

"Hey Gibbs, do you mind if we have to walk to the pizza place? Their delivery car broke down."

Gibbs nodded despite the fact that he should be resting. He figured the walk would be worth his currently empty stomach.

...

The bell to the pizza place rang, signaling the opening of the door. Gibbs noticed a man who refused to look at anyone in the eye. Thinking he was just shy, he went back to eating his pizza with Rusty. Suddenly the shy man pulled out a gun and aimed it in Gibbs' direction.

With his fast thinking, Gibbs drew his gun and fired at the man, instantly killing him. He kicked away the suspect's gun and checked for a pulse. Rusty picked up his cell phone to call 911 and then Sharon. When he finally consoled Sharon, Gibbs walked up to him.

"You need to come with me," he said, grabbing the boy by his shoulder.

"Why? Sharon's coming."

"We're in danger. Tell Sharon we'll meet her at the apartment."

Rusty nodded and called Sharon to explain what little he knew while sticking close to Gibbs as possible.


	16. Chapter 16

**Note: **hehe. Thanks for the review(s) CicadaOne :)

* * *

"Don't you need to stay here? I mean you shot the guy."

"What I need to do is get you to a safe place. Then I'll come back," explained Gibbs as he ushered Rusty.

"Why? What's going on?"

"I will tell you when Sharon's back."

"No! I want you to tell me now! I know you cops, you guys like to lie!"

"Just trust me," Gibbs said, slightly annoyed at the stubborn teen.

Rusty contemplated for a few seconds, the man did just save his life and he is pretty awesome.

"Does Sharon trust you?"

"You found me sleeping on her couch, did you not? And how do you think I got shot in the first place?" Gibbs asked, hiding the fact that she bugged his phone. Rusty, finally convinced, agreed and followed Gibbs back to the apartment.

...

The door knob turned and the door opened and Sharon entered her apartment. She saw Rusty leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and Gibbs opposite of him.

"Can someone tell me what is going on?" She demanded more than asking. She looked at Gibbs for answers.

"A guy came into the pizza shop and pulled out his gun! I didn't see him but that's what Gibbs said." Rusty answered for him.

"The suspect entered the store, pulled his gun, aimed it in my direction, and I shot him first. Then I told Rusty to call 911 and you. I needed to bring Rusty back here before I go back to give my statement," Gibbs clarified, carefully choosing his words.

Sharon nodded, "How did you get back?"

"We ran. Well more like I ran and Gibbs had to keep up. He told me we had to get out of there and I do what I'm told."

Sharon nodded again and gestured Gibbs outside to talk. She held the door open for him and followed him out.

"So what happened?" She asked, knowing he wasn't telling the whole story.

"After I shot him, I checked his pockets for any ID and instead, I found a picture of Rusty with his name on the back before putting it back into his pocket. I flashed my badge to the cashier and went to get Rusty."

Sharon covered her mouth with a finger, shocked and speechless.

"Based on what's going on now, it would make sense that they are targeting Rusty to get at you," said Gibbs, "someone doesn't want you investigating."

"I agree," Sharon responded, "okay here's what we'll do: I will take Rusty back to Major Crimes where officers can watch him and I'll drop you off at the pizza place."

"You need to tell him."

Sharon nodded and went back into the apartment to inform Rusty what's going on.

...

"I don't want to stay here! I would rather be with you!" whined Rusty in the squad room.

Lieutenant Provenza, having enough of the teen's complaining, stood up and walked over to Sharon and Rusty.

"Look here Rusty. Someone is trying to kill you, do you understand that? The safest place for you right now is to stay here while we investigate."

Rusty walked to Sharon's office, defeated. Sharon mouthed a thank you and Provenza nodded his head.

"Captain, the car's ready," reported Flynn. Sharon acknowledged him and the team made their way to the garage.

...

Sharon ducked under the crime scene tape and looked for Gibbs. Suddenly she remembered no one knew he had been discharged from the hospital. She knew she was going to get an earful.

"Captain, you won't believe who our witness is," Flynn said after returning from canvassing the scene. If only he knew, she thought, offering a confused face. She followed Flynn behind an ambulance to see Gibbs laying on a stretcher.

"Hi Captain, fancy meeting you here," Gibbs greeted.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, talking about the stretcher.

"I convinced the good ole doctor to discharge me," he said, telling part of the truth.

"Oh," she responded, glad to see he covered for her, "what are you doing on the stretcher?"

"I guess I opened the stitches," he shrugged as a medic came over.

"He did rip his day old stitches. What kind of doctor discharges a patient that just got surgery?" the medic asked no one in particular as he continued to restitch Gibbs.

"Hey Lieutenant Flynn," Gibbs said, changing the subject, "any ID on the suspect?"

"Not yet. But it's a good thing you warned Captain about him targeting Rusty," Flynn reported, clueless about what had really happened. Flynn saw the coroner had arrived and excused himself. The medic took off his gloves and signaled to Gibbs he was done and left to talk to his partner.

"Why didn't you tell me you ripped your stitches? I could have fixed them at the apartment." Sharon asked, finally alone.

"I didn't know until the medic pointed it out and we were in a rush anyway."

Sharon stepped back as the medic returned.

"Someone's going to need to check your stitches and possibly fix it if you rip it again. Other than that, you're good to go. Do you have a place to stay?"

Gibbs nodded and the medic moved out of the way for him to get off the stretcher.

"Alright then, how about you try not to rip anymore and let it fully heal?" the medic asked, rhetorically. Gibbs smirked and walked with Sharon into the pizza place and listen to the coroner's initial findings.

"Three rounds to the chest. The first shot went into his gut, second one was a through and through at the shoulder, and the last one nicked his aorta," Kendall, the corner, reported.

"Good shooting, sir," complemented Julio.

Gibbs nodded and said, "Don't call me 'sir.'" Julio nodded and allowed Kendall to continue.

"Looks like my work here is done. Dr. Morales will have further information upon an autopsy but he'll confirm what I found."

The coroner wheeled away the body of the unidentified suspect and allowed the squad to start speculating. Lieutenant Tao brought up Rusty's past and the fact that he's a material witness in the trial against Phillip Stroh but Sharon shook her head.

"He had tons of opportunities to strike, but why now? Besides, it is tough to get word out from where he's staying. It seems like it is an attempt to get at me," said Sharon, considering Gibbs' possibility. The team looked at her with concern and Andy suggested looking into Trent Murray, who they have yet to locate due to FBI interference.

"We can ask Agent Howard to turn him over to us but if he's in Witness Protection, it would be hard," reminded Lieutenant Provenza.

"I'll talk to my guy," Gibbs stated.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" asked Andy, which earned him a glare from Sharon. Gibbs merely shrugged and flipped open his cell phone to call Agent Fornell.

...

Gibbs again found himself sitting in his makeshift office at Major Crimes' headquarters. His abdomen more sore than before, due to new stitches. Unfortunately for him, his wound was beneath where his left arm rested in the sling, thus adding even more pressure and discomfort. Frustrated with the case and the discomfort, he took off his sling and threw it across the room before slouching back into his chair. After being briefed on the discovery of Murray and his high school girlfriend, Gibbs knew he was the one behind it, even if his gut was injured. If only he could find the motive behind killing the sailors.

"Well if it isn't true," a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, "Gibbs is in Los Angeles." Gibbs looked up from his reports to see his long time FBI friend, Tobias Fornell, standing in the doorway. He smiled and rose from his seat to greet him.

"Hey Tobias," he said, "thanks for coming."

"Anything for an old friend. Besides, I don't mind getting paid to fly out to Los Angeles. So what's this I hear about your suspect being in Witness Protection?"

"Your guys won't let us have him and I have a feeling about him," Gibbs answered.

"You know I trust your injured gut Jethro, but you'll need more than that to prosecute him. I'll see what I can do," the middle aged man said.

"Thanks Tobias, I appreciate it. The FBI liaison to the LAPD is Agent Fritz Howard."

Sharon walked into the office and introduced herself to Tobias. She saw Gibbs without his sling and gave him a look that meant they will talk later. Unfortunately for Gibbs, Tobias excused himself to make phone calls and that meant they will have the talk now. Gibbs walked back to his seat and offered Sharon to sit but she refused.

"Is Agent Fornell willing to help?" she asked, putting her hands on her hip.

"Yeah," he offered, "he will do what he can."

"That's good," she responded, deciding to take a seat, "why did you take off your sling?"

"It was bothering me."

"You will regret it in the future when it starts to hurt again."

"It's just a sprain."

"It should be rested for a good two days before being used again at all."

"So I won't use it then."

"You're so stubborn, you know that?" Sharon asked, finally giving up.

"I've been called worst," Gibbs said, with a smile. Sharon returned his smile and left his office.

...

"Captain, the FBI brought Mr. Murray," reported Lieutenant Flynn. Sharon nodded and rose from her seat to walk to the interrogation room. Flynn held the door open for her and walked with her.

"If you could get Agent Gibbs and bring him to the room too," requested Sharon, "I'm sure he will have some questions of his own." Flynn nodded and went to fetch Gibbs. Sharon decided to wait outside the door for Gibbs when Flynn came back alone. She rolled her eyes and entered electronics instead and found Gibbs and her whole squad watching the monitors.

"How long are we going to wait?"

"The FBI is going to want to be in there too," Agent Howard answered, "so we were discussing the most effective way to get answers without interfering."

"And I was saying that it will only be more chaotic with each branch trying to show their ego," responded Lieutenant Provenza. Gibbs finally spoke up, already moving to the door.

"NCIS and LAPD will take this one. We have already interviewed him before."

"But he'll want a-"

The sound of a closing door interrupted Agent Howard's statement and Gibbs and Sharon appeared on the monitors.

"Hello Mr. Murray, thanks for coming in," smiled Sharon.

"No problem, anything for the law enforcement."

"What was your purpose in Virginia?" asked Gibbs, wanting to skip the small talk.

"I've already told you: business."

"What kind of business? And don't tell me to talk to Simon Thomas; he's dead."

At that moment, Trent Murray looked up with shock and anger. He slammed his fists on the table, scaring Sharon, and started accusing the police of murdering him. Gibbs stood and simultaneously yelled at Mr. Murray to sit down. When he refused, the two had a staring contest until Trent gave in and sat. After getting his anger out, he broke down and started crying. The man he had come to consider as a father was dead and it was his fault.

"We were going to get married when I finished my deployment. I requested leave for her birthday and I should have been there for her, but I wanted to surprise her."

"How is that your fault?" asked Sharon, trying to appeal to his humanity.

"I told her to go to the party because she was sad that I wasn't going to make it in time. So when I learned she died, I lost it and Simon and his son was there for me the whole time even though they just lost a daughter and a sister."

"Were you close to Simon's son...?" asked Gibbs, attempting to find a connection to the sailors.

"Dave," Trent said sadly, "we became brothers even if he was Navy and I was Army. He told me about all the problems he went through and so did I. After he died overseas, it was only Simon and me."

As if a flashbulb went off in his head, Gibbs realized the possible connection: Dave told Trent his troubles and being the older "brother," he must have done something about it. Gibbs decided it was time to look into Dave Thomas' military record. This was the connection he was looking for.

...

"McGee," Gibbs spoke into his phone, "I need everything on a Dave Thomas, especially the problems he had during his deployment. There's a connection between him and the victims."

McGee agreed to the request and hung up with his boss after asking about his health. Sharon walked into Gibbs office when he closed his phone. She leaned on the doorframe and crossed her arms.

"Do you care to share what you are thinking?"

"I will if I'm right," he answered without looking up from his closed phone. Sharon hummed skeptically, not surprised from his answer. She told him to tell her when he is getting tired so she can take him home and left for the murder room to discuss the case with her squad.

...

"Lieutenant Tao, let's look into Dave Thomas and his military background," requested Sharon. Lieutenant Tao nodded and began typing on his keyboard.

"What are you thinking, Captain?" asked Detective Sykes.

"Murray talked about Dave having problems and the victims were sailors," answered Detective Sanchez. Sharon agreed with Julio and before she could go back to her office, she saw Gibbs angrily enter the interrogation room Mr. Murray was in. She looked at Tao, curious if he had any leads and when he shook his head, she signaled to Buzz and entered the electronics room. On the monitors, she saw Gibbs sitting at the table with his hands folder on top of a NCIS report. It must be the one he brought with him from Virginia, Sharon thought.

"We are going to try this again: what were you doing in Virginia?"

"I was on business," answered Trent, leaning forward. Fed up with his lies, Gibbs opened the report and one by one, laid out the photo of each victim. Trent, distraught from the gory images in front of him, hid his face behind his hands.

"Look at them!" demanded Gibbs, "all honorable sailors who decorated their life to serving the country!"

As if his praising of them struck a nerve, Trent slammed his fists down and grabbed the photo of the first victim. Gibbs knew he hit the right note.

"Honorable?!" yelled Trent, "he made fun of Dave for having a mentally ill mother! This guy-this 'honorable sailor'-tortured my best friend! How can you say he deserves to live when my friend is emotionally breaking down?! That's what got him killed. All these guys bullied him to the point where Dave couldn't function the way a sailor does and it cost him."

"Why not report them?"

"And what will his commander do? Punish them? They needed all the hands they could get, especially when the aircraft carrier they were on got attacked."

Gibbs remember hearing about the attack on the news. The crew of 5072 whittled down to 2083 and it would be a few days before reinforcements would arrive. Fortunately, the aircraft carrier was able to defend itself and the remaining crew was saved.

"So when I heard they were getting medals for what they did to save the carrier, I became furious. Dave should have been shaking hands with the President, not them."

"How did you know Dave wasn't healthy?"

"You just know Agent Gibbs! Sometimes he would forget what his purpose was and when I visited him, he seemed lost, mentally and physically. I had to drink him under the table just so he could tell me what was wrong. That's when I learned of the problems he has been experiencing since he first got stationed there over two years ago."

"So you just assumed?"

"No! Dave told me the truth and so they got what they deserved."

"And what did they deserve?"

Trent didn't speak but he answered by gesturing to the pictures. Gibbs nodded, knowing his gut was right all along.

"Why the girl?"

"Simon saw her as his daughter but she saw me invite the last sailor over and she put two and two together. I couldn't risk having her run off and tell the police even though Simon believed she never would."

"Then why send someone after Rusty?"

"Who?" Trent asked as if Gibbs was making things up, "I've never heard of a 'Rusty' before, and what kind of name is that?"

Gibbs picked up the photos, put them back into his report, and left Trent to ponder his actions. He ran into Sharon who had just made her way out of electronics and signaled to his office so that they could talk. But before they can talk, Gibbs asked Andy to arrest Trent for murder and to read him his rights.

"So it is possible someone's targeting Rusty?" Sharon asked skeptically, "Phillip Stroh?"

"I talked to Tobias the same night of the threat, he said he's been in isolation and has had no contact, not even with the guards. They drop off his food and leave per request of the arresting officer, a Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson."

Sharon smiled a little when he mentioned her name. While the method she used to arrest Stroh was unorthodox, it got the job done. It also helped that he broke into her house and tried to kill her and Rusty. But reality set in and Sharon realized that Rusty wasn't safe in L.A. with someone wanting to kill him. That's when she had an idea and looked at Gibbs and he looked back with a worried face.


	17. Chapter 17

**Note: **heh glad to hear that Isolith! I appreciate it (: I'm thinking of completing this soon, don't want to drag it out longer than necessary. :o

* * *

Flynn was working on paperwork when he saw Sharon usher Rusty into her office. Her face read concern and worry while Rusty's was confused. The squad was in the electronics room when Trent confessed he was the killer but also when he denied knowing Rusty. Why would he deny it now unless it was true? Everybody suspected Stroh but when Tao called Agent Howard, they were even more confused. Flynn caught Provenza's eyes and signaled toward Sharon's office. Provenza shook his head and told Flynn it wasn't their business.

"What do you mean it's not our business? We all sacrificed nights and weekends for Rusty!" Flynn argued in a hush whisper, "and in comes Agent Gibbs and he gets to be involved in Rusty's business? I don't think so."

"Look Andy," Provenza began to reason, "we all care about Rusty and we will have to trust Captain Raydor, who sacrificed the most for the kid. For all we know they could be talking about pizza."

Flynn finally agreed and began working on his paperwork again.

...

"Have a seat, Rusty," Sharon gestured as they entered her office.

"I'm not in trouble, am I? I swear I only ate the beef jerky because the cop offered it to me."

Sharon laughed and wished that was the real reason why she and Gibbs were talking to Rusty. She shook her head and sat in her chair. Rusty followed her lead while Gibbs remained standing.

"There's no easy way to say this," Sharon said, "but it looks like someone is coming for you and we don't know who."

Rusty looked at Sharon's sad face and looked back at Gibbs' emotionless face. He wanted to believe they were joking but they were completely serious.

"What? What do you mean? I'm only a teenager and I haven't caused any trouble!" Sharon narrowed her eyes at his last words and Rusty offered a face that said she knew what he meant.

"I mean that someone wants you dead and I can't risk your life," Sharon paused to take a breath, "so I've decided it is best for you to go with Agent Gibbs back to Virginia until we find the culprit."

Rusty looked like a deer in the headlights. He couldn't believe what his ears had heard and refused to believe it. In his mind, Sharon was, again, trying to get rid of him. He shook his head in disbelief and began to argue, but was stopped by Sharon raising her hand.

"Now listen to me when I say this, because I truly mean it. I'm not getting rid of you, I never will. I'm only doing this to protect you because if you are willing to believe it, I care about you."

Rusty glared at her and immediately stormed out. He knew the one person that could reason with her was Lieutenant Flynn. He grabbed Flynn by the wrist and pulled him towards Sharon's office and sat him down in the chair. Rusty took his place at the end of Sharon's desk and planted his hands at the corners.

"Lieutenant Flynn, could you tell Sharon that I'm not going to go to Virginia?"

Andy looked Sharon, then to Rusty, and back to Sharon. Clearly he had no idea of what was going on and looked to Sharon for help. She sighed and reluctantly explained to him what she planned to do with Rusty.

"You see, Andy? She's trying to get rid of me! All this taking me into her home was just a front! I knew I shouldn't have trusted her!" His words stung Sharon and he knew it. It was the second time he had been betrayed by a woman named Sharon, the first being his no-show mom. But at the moment, he couldn't careless; everybody seemed to be toying with his emotions. Andy had enough of his whining and stood up.

"Enough! I'm not going to sit here and listen to you bash the one person who took you under her wing and offered you her home. You need to see that she, in fact all of us, care about you and I'm sure every single one of us would want you to go."

Sharon placed her hand on Andy's arm, signaling him to stop while also thanking him. She took a deep breath and offered a weak smile to all the testosterone in her office before addressing Rusty.

"You are going to Virginia no matter what you say. I don't care if you refuse, you are going to go."

"But that's like illegal! Forcing me to go somewhere I don't want to!"

"You are currently under my supervision and I'm sure Cynthia will agree with me. We are only looking out for your safety."

Finally having enough of the debate, Sharon announced that she is going home and that Rusty can either be in the garage in five minutes or get a ride home with one of the other squad members. She left with her head held high, followed by Andy who went to make the announcement to the squad. That left Gibbs and Rusty in Sharon's office, Gibbs completely calm and Rusty still leaning on the desk. In a fit of rage, he began shoving everything off of Sharon's desk, causing a giant mess. When he wasn't satisfied, he walked to the door only to be stopped. He fought furiously against the arms wrapped around him: throwing punches and elbows every which way. When the arms wouldn't let go, Rusty broke down and began crying into the arms. He realized it was Gibbs who stopped him and is now holding him as he weeps.

Gibbs caressed the boy's head, like the way a father would do when his child is crying. He had a sudden flashback of when Kelly skinned her knees against the concrete and he held her in his arms. When it came to kids, it was Gibbs' weak spot. Any case that involved children burned a hole in his heart because he can't see why people took advantage of their children. If he could have a do-over, he would have been with Shannon and Kelly and protect them. But he knew he never would get that chance and so, he let his work take over.

"Come on, Rusty," Gibbs said as he still held the boy, "let's get you home."

"I'm sorry," Rusty spoke into his chest.

"I'm not the one that needs to hear that," he replied, allowing an exception from his rule number nine. He felt Rusty nod in his chest and he finally let go of the now calm boy. Gibbs managed to get a patrol officer to take them both back to Sharon's apartment, not wanting her to deal with the gossip of him staying there.

...

When Rusty knocked on the door, never before had he felt like an outsider. He forgot to bring his keys and the current situation found to be a fitting punishment. Sharon finally opened the door and allowed them in. She hid her shock when she saw Gibbs' swollen face and cut lips. Gibbs kept a stoic face as he entered the apartment after Rusty.

"I'm sorry."

"I know," she said as she went to get her first aid kit. Rusty looked at Gibbs when he realized the damage he had done. He offered another apology to which Gibbs shook off with his rule number nine. When Sharon returned with the kit to work on Gibbs' face, he took it from her hands and headed for the bathroom, allowing the two to have their time to talk. Now alone to speak freely, Rusty began to apologize. Sharon only nodded her head and explained to Rusty that she would never leave him. He accepted her explanation and surprised her by being the one to initiate a hug. When her arms wrapped around him, never before did he feel like he belonged under Sharon's care. Their little moment was interrupted by the sound of things falling in the bathroom. Worried, Sharon rushed over to the bathroom followed by Rusty. When she looked into the frame, she saw Gibbs holding the spilled kit and with an embarrassed smile, something he rarely uses.

"It's kind of hard with a throbbing eye; my depth perception," he shrugged. Sharon took the kit from his hand and instructed Rusty to boil an egg for his eye. She led him to the same couch where she ended up fixing Rusty's busted lip he received from his father, Daniel Dunn. She was furious after that, at Daniel and herself, and eventually got him to sign his parental rights away. But still she wished she was there to protect him.

Gibbs sat on the couch as Sharon began working on his cuts. When she finished, he sheepishly pulled up his shirt and revealed his ripped stitches. She shook her head and laughed at his embarrassment.

"You know, that is never going to heal and if it does, it'll be an ugly scar."

"It's not my fault this guy," he signaled to Rusty as he took the boiled egg, "can throw elbows and punches."

"Why were you guys fighting...?"

"We weren't," Rusty explained as he looked down at his feet, "I wanted to throw things and Gibbs stopped me. But not before I started throwing my elbows and fists at him..."

"He has a good right hook, I'm sure someone in my division would like to spar with you," Gibbs said, thinking of Ziva, his Mossad-trained agent, "she could even teach you some moves."

Rusty scoffed, "More like I will teach her some moves. Surprisingly when you are out on the streets, you pick some stuff up."

Gibbs laughed at the idea of Ziva being beat by Rusty, even when DiNozzo couldn't beat her. But he had no doubt he will give her a run for her money, because what he said was true: the streets change people.

"I would appreciate it if you kept your laughing to a minimum as I stitch you up," Sharon said, trying to sound annoyed. Gibbs replied jokingly serious with a "Yes Ma'am" which this time caused Sharon to giggle. Rusty could only shake his head as he felt like the only adult in the room. He left for his room to begin packing for his "vacation." Finally able to compose herself, Sharon began working on Gibbs again. When she finished, she pulled down his shirt and realized he had fallen asleep with the boiled egg on his eye. She silently laughed at the scene and took the egg. She nearly fell backwards when a hand grabbed her wrist.

"I'm still using that," Gibbs said without opening his eyes.

"Remind me to never do anything near or around you when you are sleeping," she said as she placed the boiled egg in his open hand. He merely grunted and placed the egg back on his eye.

Sharon entered the kitchen and began pouring herself a glass of red wine. Being the good hostess she was, she walked over to the couch and asked Gibbs if he had wanted anything to drink.

"Bourbon sounds good right now," he said as he removed the egg and sat up.

"I only have red wine," she replied.

"Alright, I'll take it."

Sharon nodded even though he couldn't see her and went to pour another glass. She handed him his drink and sat next to him and sipped her wine.

"Thanks for being there for Rusty," she said as she twirled her drink.

"Anytime," he said while cautiously taking a sip. He only had wine four times, each at his wedding but switched to bourbon after the first sip.

"So what do you plan on doing with him in Virginia?"

"Assuming no one gets murdered, I'll show him around and make him realize how lucky he is to have you as his guardian."

Sharon blushed and took another sip. She had a question on the tip of her tongue but didn't know how to ask it without sounding clingy.

"You can come visit whenever you want, I'm sure he would appreciate it," said Gibbs, virtually reading her mind.

"Thank you," Sharon replied, glad he had answered half of her question, "the thing is...Assistant Chief Taylor is telling me I have a conflict of interest..."

"So you were wondering if you could come along too," Gibbs finished her sentence. Sharon nodded and sipped her wine.

"I'm just worried that with no work, I'd go insane and I figured why not take a vacation," she explained.

"It's okay Sharon, you don't need to explain yourself. You're welcome to visit whenever and I'm sure Rusty would look forward to going even more now."

"Yes, I was going to tell him, but he didn't let me get that far."

"He's a scared kid," Gibbs said, "it's tough being able to trust someone coming from his background."

Sharon nodded as she finished the last of her glass. She sat the glass down on the table and slouched back into the couch. It must have been the wine and the glasses she had when she first got home that made her daring, but she leaned against Gibbs' shoulder and closed her eyes.

After convincing himself that she had fully gone to sleep, Gibbs swung her arm behind his neck and proceeded to carry her to bed. Even though she wasn't heavy, the fact that one arm wasn't as strong made it harder. After some difficulty, he managed to put her on her bed and covered her with the blanket. He took off her glasses and placed them on the end table next to the bed. He properly tucked her in and observed her face. She looked peaceful in her sleep, as if her worries were all washed away. He brushed away the stray strands that fell onto her face and when he was satisfied, he turned off the lights and closed her door.

...

Sharon wasn't sure if she was dreaming but she imagined Gibbs had carried her into her room and messed with her hair. So when she woke up and realized she was in her room, she came to believe it was true. But she wasn't sure what had happened after he messed with her hair, for she fell fast into a deep sleep. She slowly looked to her left and sighed a breath of relief when she saw that that part of the bed was left undisturbed. The smell of pancakes and the sound of pots forced Sharon out of bed and she went to freshen up.

The sight as she approached her kitchen surprised her: Rusty still in his pajamas cooking the eggs and Gibbs in his sweats flipping pancakes. It was clear the two were joking around, sometimes Gibbs nudging Rusty with his elbow. She silently sat down at the table and watched the duo make breakfast.

Rusty was the first to notice Sharon, turning around to plate the eggs. He mouthed good morning and she returned his greeting. He pointed to Gibbs' direction, signaling a thumbs up for his cooking skills. Sharon giggled and returned his thumbs up with a thumbs up.

"Pancakes are done," Gibbs said to Rusty, "can you bring the plates over?"

When Rusty handed him a third plate, he turned around to see Sharon smiling at him.

"Ah, the Sleeping Beauty has awaken. Hope you like pancakes," he said as he plated the pancakes. Sharon nodded and got up to pour orange juice in the empty glasses. Rusty raced toward the fridge and insisted that he can pour the juice, forcing Sharon to sit back down and give Gibbs a curious look. He shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what Rusty is up to either.

The trio all sat down and finally started to dig in. Rusty took a bite of his pancakes and put down his utensils. Gibbs looked at him with a worried glance, wondering if his cooking was that bad. Rusty shook his head and swallowed his food.

"It's good for someone cooking with a black eye," Rusty said before turning his attention to Sharon, "I came up with this idea while I was packing." Curious, Sharon put down her fork and folded her hands to signal Rusty to continue.

"Okay well since we don't know how long I would have to stay in Virginia, I was wondering if you wanted to come along. I know you have work and as long as Gibbs doesn't mind, but it would be fun if you came too."

Sharon smiled and nodded, "Gibbs and I were discussing this yesterday. Taylor is forcing me to take a vacation because I'm personally interested in the case. So yes, Rusty, I would love to go with you."

Rusty nearly jumped for joy before realizing his lower body was under the table. He became ecstatic, talking about whatever came to mind since he no longer needed to go to school for a few weeks.

With breakfast in their bellies, Gibbs and Rusty went to do the dishes while Sharon called work to notify them of her temporary leave. Despite a few objections from her squad, mostly from Flynn, she managed to hang up and officially be work free for at least two weeks. It looked like working those consecutive days and nights in FID finally paid off, she thought. When she returned to the kitchen, she saw Gibbs face drenched in water and Rusty laughing hysterically at him.

"I was only gone for five minutes," she said, handing Gibbs a towel.

"Good because any longer and I would have taken another shower," he said, accepting the towel. Using his one good arm, he began drying his face, cautious of his black eye.

"Rusty, have you finished packing? We are leaving tonight and I don't want to be late."

Rusty shook his head and headed for his room to finish packing. He told Sharon to start packing also and virtually skipped to his room.

"You managed to get a flight last minute?" Gibbs asked, placing the towel on the counter.

"Airlines overbook in case of no shows, albeit it was pricey but that's what working is for. I don't think Rusty's ever been on a plane so I would like to be there to calm him," she replied, taking the towel to wipe a wet spot he had missed, "your eye is healing nicely. I'll boil another egg for it and hopefully it will go away."

"Does that even work?" he asked, skeptically of the healing powers of an egg.

"I'm not sure but it was something I heard," shrugged Sharon.

"You can save your eggs then, I'll only look more tough," he joked.

...

They finally made it onto the airplane, with Rusty taking the window seat wanting to watch the lights across Los Angeles, Sharon sat in the middle, and Gibbs on the edge. He was stopped by the TSA when his stitches set off the metal detector and after walking through the X-ray machine, he was allowed to pass. Sharon and Rusty had laughed at him, but he managed to get them to stop when he reminded them he took the bullets aimed for Sharon. Their faces became sad and he started laughing at their seriousness. He told them he didn't regret it and the three made it to their gate.

An hour into the flight, Rusty slept against the window; Sharon on Gibbs' shoulder, and Gibbs against Sharon's head. To anyone passing by, they looked to be any normal family.


	18. Chapter 18

**Note****: **mj, thanks for the review and I totally was thinking about Southwest bahaha! and anyway, probably no to either; hints maybe but nothing definitive. I'm too scared to venture into that territory haha. Anyway, I feel the end is coming soon so yeah. I'll put everyone out of their misery and finish my bad writing soon. (:

* * *

Ziva David waited in the airport for her boss to land. She got a phone call from him and was told to be there around 1:30AM. She began to nod off when she heard someone clear their throat.

"Hey Gibbs," she greeted, offering to take his bags, "who gave you that?" signaling to his black eye. He shook his head at her offer and glanced towards Rusty's direction. Ziva raised her eyebrows to her boss and waited until the boy stood in front of her before extending her hand.

"I'm Agent David."

"Rusty," he said, half asleep and weakly shook her hand. He sat down with his backpack on and rolled his luggage toward his feet. Ziva looked at Gibbs, curious to see what they were waiting for when Sharon started walking towards them.

"Gibbs, I can carry my bag," she said extending her hand for him to give it to her, "I don't want you to injure your arm even more."

"It's fine. This is Agent Ziva David," he said, turning towards Ziva to indicate who he meant.

"Oh hello, nice to meet you Agent David. I'm Captain Sharon Raydor of the LAPD. Thank you for coming to get us this late at night."

"It is nice to meet you too. And it is no problem, anything for Gibbs," she smiled and shook her hand, "my car is just right outside; the advantages of having a government car." Sharon and Rusty headed toward the direction Ziva pointed to while Ziva stayed back to talk to Gibbs.

"You didn't tell me you were bringing company."

"I'm bringing company."

Ziva laughed and took one of the bags Gibbs was holding despite his silent protest.

...

Sharon woke up in an unfamiliar setting. Her heartbeat speeding up as the seconds tick by before remembering she was in Gibbs' bedroom. Memories from last night began flooding her head: a brief tour of the house and Gibbs offering his room to Rusty and her. Her luggage still packed, she went to fetch a change of clothes and her toothbrush. Half-asleep when Gibbs gave the tour, Sharon found herself lost in her new environment. Not wanting to open any closed doors, she gave up and brushed her teeth in the kitchen sink.

Gibbs finished showering and entered the living room to hear water running in the kitchen. He cursed himself for leaving the water on and came to a halt when he saw Sharon brushing her teeth there. He silently laughed at the sight in front of him: the modest and proper Sharon Raydor stood before him with disheveled hair and acted as if she owned the place.

When she finished, she turned and realized Gibbs had been standing there the whole time. She felt her cheeks get warm but refused to be completely embarrassed about it.

"You're a lousy tour guide," she said, pointing at him with her toothbrush.

"You're a lousy listener," he shrugged and directed her to the bathroom. She thanked him and went on her way.

...

The elevators opened and Ziva David nearly ran to the bullpen from excitement. She couldn't wait to tell DiNozzo and McGee about what she had seen last night. She greeted the two men with good mornings, dropped off her bags, and ecstatically told them to gather in the middle. DiNozzo looked at McGee curiously, and they got up to see what Ziva was excited about.

"So you know how Gibbs asked me to pick him up last night?"

"Is this what you are excited about? I mean bossman only asked you because I was busy," DiNozzo interrupted, trying to hide his jealousy when in fact he never did get a call from Gibbs.

"Partly, I am glad he is back but when I picked him up, he had a woman and a teenager with him!"

McGee's face turned into surprise, his eyebrows arched and mouth slightly open. DiNozzo, on the other hand, laughed and became giddy.

"Future ex-wife?" he asked, joking about Gibbs' numerous failed marriages. Suddenly he felt a hand smack the back of his head and he recoiled into an invisible turtle shell. He turned around to see Gibbs standing behind him with a grin on his face.

"Oh hi boss, glad to see you," DiNozzo said before returning back to his desk and giving Ziva a stink eye because she didn't warn him of Gibbs' presence. She merely stuck her tongue out and went back to work.

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee and sighed as it went down his throat. He hadn't had coffee in a while and now truly felt normal. He set down his gear at his desk and headed for the elevators when it opened. Sharon and Rusty stepped out with their new visitor's passes and they greeted Gibbs.

"Let's give you a tour of this place," he said. They both nodded and followed him.

"This is the bullpen," he gestured to the small area of work where no one but his team walks through.

"You met Ziva last night, McGee is over there, and this is DiNozzo."

"You look familiar," Sharon said as she took DiNozzo's extended hand.

"Undercover," he whispered and Sharon nodded her head.

"Hello, I am Ziva. You probably do not remember me since you fell asleep in the car."

"Rusty. Are you the Mossad-trained agent? Because Gibbs said I could box with you."

Ziva looked at her boss who offered a shrug and she agreed. McGee and DiNozzo became interested in someone challenging Ziva and the four of them made their way to the gym, leaving Gibbs and Sharon alone in the bullpen.

"Well they seem to be a nice group of people," Sharon said, breaking the silence. Gibbs nodded and took another sip of his coffee.

"How do you get used to this skylight?"

"You squint," he answered half jokingly, "so what next?"

"Show me what you got. And this is a perfect example of a lousy tour guide!" she joked as she lightly slapped his arm.

"Let's go to forensics."

As if she heard them from her lab, Abby Sciuto came skipping into the bullpen with glee. Gibbs managed to move his coffee out of the way and braced himself for the bear hug Abby gave him. He caught Sharon's surprised eye and he smiled.

"Nice to see you too Abbs," he said as they released each other.

"I'm so glad to see you're back! You'll have to tell me of your adventures! Did you visit that 24-hour cupcake machine?"

"There's a machine that sells cupcakes 24-hours?" Gibbs asked skeptically. Abby nodded and turned her attention to Sharon and introduced herself. She then excused herself when she heard about the boxing match with Ziva and hastily made her way to the gym.

"Well she's...different than I expected," Sharon managed to say. Gibbs nodded and says that everyone says that. He directed her attention to the wall behind her and told her about the explosion right outside and the rebuilding process.

"Ah, the mighty Jethro has returned! I knew there was some sort of excitement in the air!" greeted Ducky as he entered the bullpen, "and who is this, Jethro?"

"Sharon Raydor of the LAPD," she said, introducing herself, "and you are?"

"I'm Donald Mallard, friends call me Ducky, and I'm the Chief Medical Examiner of NCIS."

Suddenly Gibbs remembered Sharon had never had the chance to see her daughter's body. As if she was thinking the same thing, she looked at Gibbs who knew what she was asking. He nodded and gestured for her to follow him. He told Ducky to follow along and the three made their way into the elevator, Sharon and Gibbs going in first, then Ducky.

Sharon at first wanted to see her daughter one last time, but then her head became flooded with questions. Will she be able to recognize her? How much had she changed when she was alive? Suddenly, Sharon wasn't so sure of seeing her daughter's body.

Sensing her second guessing herself, Gibbs put a hand on her shoulder. He wish he had someone with him when he had to identify his wife and daughter's body. He looked at Sharon, who wiped away a lingering tear and mouthed thank you, and offered a sympathetic smile. He knew what she is going through and was glad she hadn't turned him away yet.

The elevator ride to the morgue felt like an eternity. Gibbs removed his hand from Sharon's shoulder as she followed Ducky into the morgue.

"I take it you are here to see Tamara Adams," Ducky deduced. Sharon nodded and asked how he knew.

"She has the same cheekbones and lips as you. She was a beautiful girl."

Sharon nodded and followed him to where the bodies were stored. He opened a refrigerator like door and cold air escaped its confines. He pulled out the slab and on top of it, peacefully laid her daughter, her body covered with a white sheet. Ducky left her to be alone and Gibbs stayed a few feet behind Sharon to give her privacy.

Sharon brought her hand to touch her daughter's cheek. The second she did, she regretted it, for no warmth emanated from there. Only coldness. Her lips began to quiver and her eyes watered. She brought her other hand up to her mouth, in an attempt to hide her emotions. Right before her laid her daughter, who did in fact grow into a beautiful woman. Sharon stood there, with her hand on Tamara's cheek, frozen in place. After years of hopelessness, she finally had her daughter back but not in the way she had hoped. Closure was what she had gotten. She dare not ask about any abuse her daughter may have suffered, for fear she could not handle it. But she knew she needed to know, for her own sake. Not remembering where she was, Sharon suddenly broke down in tears, silent tears, where water ran down her cheeks, her nose sniffles, and her shoulders trembled.

Sharon removed her hand from her daughter's cheek and began fixing her bangs like she always did when Tamara was younger. Forever in her mind, she will be that little girl who had trouble with her hair every morning before school. The memory coaxed a small smile out of Sharon and right then she knew how she could journey through the loss of her daughter: remembering the good times she had with Tamara.

She turned around to see Gibbs standing there, respecting her privacy. She wanted to thank the man for everything he had done but knew her words would fail to surface from throat. Instead, she simply hugged him and whispered a thank you. He returned her embrace and offered her a kiss on the top of her head.

...

"You should have seen me, Sharon! Ziva taught me some cool moves and I tried them out on Tony," Rusty spoke with excitement. Sharon tilted her head curiously as she saw DiNozzo enter the bullpen limping. Gibbs smiled and shook his head when he saw his senior agent and sipped his now cold coffee. DiNozzo grumbled and walked towards his desk, his arms bruised along with his ego. He silently mocked Rusty and earned a paper ball thrown at him.

"Oh cheer up Tony!" Ziva spoke across the bullpen, "He did give Gibbs a black eye."

DiNozzo looked at his boss in surprise. Maintaining his awed face, he slowly got up to approach Gibbs and get a better look at the bruise but earned a glare from him instead.

"Gibbs! I thought I heard commotion surrounding your return. Glad to see you up and about," Leon Vance boomed from upstairs as he made his way down. Gibbs merely smiled and shook his head in slight embarrassment. He never did like being in the spotlight.

"Ah Captain Raydor, nice to see you again. I'm sorry for your loss," Vance said, turning his attention to Gibbs, "what happened to you? You weren't that bad looking when I came to visit."

Gibbs smiled while shaking his head and shook Leon's hand. He was glad to be back in Virginia, in a familiar environment and with familiar faces. Even though Rusty and Sharon was there on vacation, it was up to Gibbs and his team to make sure nothing happens to them. For all he knows, the killer could have followed them back to Virginia and is waiting for a time when everyone's guard is down.

Gibbs went back to his desk and watched as Sharon and Rusty talked and laughed with the team. Selfishly, he wished it was Shannon and Kelly in their place. He imagined everyone would love them. Ziva would take a special interest in Kelly, acting as her big sister and teaching her self defense. Abby would tell her crazy stories about the bowling nuns she bowls with; DiNozzo would make her become another walking movie encyclopedia; McGee would teach her how to use technology because God knows he can't; and Ducky would be the cool grandpa that spoils her to death because he wouldn't have to deal with the consequences. If only.

Sharon realized Gibbs was no longer standing beside her and a quick glance around the room put him at his desk. She scanned his face and saw sadness in his eyes. When she caught his attention, his eyes flickered out of sadness and into the state of being aware. She offered him a small smile and he returned it before sitting in his chair.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **Thanks for the lovely reviews. I appreciate them a ton :). And _mj_, I lol'd at your last part; it's true, shame on me! haha. He does occasionally smirk but I associate that word with something else for some reason. _Isolith_, I agree with you also; I think that's why I'm not writing it as a romance because I would feel wrong! It's not fair. haha. _CicadaOne_, me too! I hope they actually do it since Michael Weatherly did guest-star on it once...One can only hope. _Kinseya_, unfortunately this story has reached its end. Who knows though? But I also agree with you and how Sharon is totally Gibbs' type! :).

Thanks again for sticking with me while I get my bearings started. Hope it has been a fun ride! Also, if any of you watch _The West Wing_, I'm going to be writing about Mark Harmon's character, Simon Donovan. /shameless self promotion

* * *

A few days passed with no movement in Rusty's case. While this worried both Sharon and Gibbs, Rusty couldn't careless, for he was preoccupied with Abby and her forensic lab. Since their arrival, they have been visiting NCIS headquarters because it is the safest place Gibbs trusts them to be in. Of course, it helps that the team doesn't mind babysitting for Rusty and they all have come to see him as a little brother. There's the occasional "future ex-wife" tease from DiNozzo, but otherwise it's all quiet on the front.

Sharon became restless about the lack of news. Several times she wanted to make a call into the LAPD but each time Gibbs stopped her, telling her they would call her if they had any news. So when the phone call finally came, she carelessly answered the phone, giggling at Rusty's gigantic eyes when he wore one of Abby's scientific gadgets.

"Hello?" the voice on the other line asked skeptically, "Is this Captain Sharon Raydor?"

"This is she," she answered, clearing her throat and turning from Rusty to compose herself, "How may I help you?"

"Uh Captain, this is Lieutenant Flynn."

"Oh, Lieutenant Flynn! I'm sorry about that," Sharon looked at Rusty, signaling to him the important phone call, "What can I do for you?"

"Well how about a plane ticket home? Because we got the guy," Andy answered, his voice happier than normal.

Sharon mentally jumped with glee and thanked Andy for the phone call. She hung up the phone and gave Rusty a thumbs up. He smiled and headed for the elevator to tell Gibbs.

...

"Hey Gibbs," Rusty said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Hey Rusty," Gibbs answered, "Everything alright?"

Rusty answered with a shrug of his shoulders and leaned on the edge of Gibbs' desk. Gibbs gave a quick scowl at the sight of anyone sitting on his desk but he decided to let Rusty pass. He got up and stood next to him and crossed his arms.

"I think they caught the guy," Rusty spoke, breaking the silence.

"And let me guess, you don't want to go back?"

"Well I do, but I kind of want to stay here still...," he answered, "But I think Sharon wants to go back as soon as possible. You know her, work this work that."

Gibbs nodded, glad to allow Rusty speak out his feelings. He looked at the carpet and shoved his hands in his pocket, trying to think of what to say.

"You're welcome to stay longer," he finally said.

Rusty offered him a small smile but shook his head, "I have to catch up on school assignments since I'm taking these AP classes. Thanks though."

Again Gibbs nodded and rubbed his neck before sitting back in his chair, "At least they got the guy."

Rusty whispered a small acknowledgement and headed for Abby's lab again. He figured Sharon would want to tell him the news and she is probably wondering where he went. As he turned the corner to the second elevator that led to the lab, he stopped short before walking into Sharon.

"Oh Rusty, there you are. I've been looking for you," Sharon said, straightening her jacket, "I just got off the phone with Lieutenant Flynn and they have the suspect in custody. So that means we can go back to L.A."

He smiled, hiding his small disappointment and asked when they will be leaving.

"I'm thinking tomorrow, how does that sound?"

"Great. Do you know who it was?"

"It was someone from your past, when you were, you know..."

Rusty nodded, cutting her off from finishing her sentence. She offered a sympathetic smile, to which he returned.

...

They didn't leave NCIS headquarters until seven and the time in between was spent on dinner and packing. Gibbs went into his basement at half past ten, prepping for whatever his next project was going to be. He walked over to his workbench, emptied out a jar that held nails, and poured bourbon in it. He was leaning on the table when Sharon entered his basement.

"I had to see it for myself," she said as she descended the steps, "No boat?"

Gibbs shook his head as he swallowed a sip of his drink, "I finished it a while ago."

"Any idea of what you are working on next?"

"Nope."

He proceeded to empty out another jar to pour bourbon in it and offered it to Sharon. She accepted and walked around the basement, observing the area.

"Like what you see?"

"Mhmm, it smells like wood and bourbon," she answered, inwardly laughing at her lame joke.

Gibbs nodded and set his empty jar on the workbench and leaned against it, putting his hands in his pockets. Sharon proceeded to do the same thing, except crossing her arms. She realized that she hadn't given him the "thank you" discussion for his work on the case.

"Duck-"

"I want-"

Sharon tried to ease the awkwardness by a small smile while Gibbs smirked at the cliché. He gestured for her to continue with what she was going to say.

"I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for Rusty and me," she said, "especially the part where you save our collective asses."

Gibbs let out a quiet chuckle, "Positive you guys would have done fine without me anyway."

"Well, you have our gratitude anyway," she responded, "What were you going to say?"

"Ducky will release your daughter tonight and coordinate with the LAPD," he answered, realizing he put a damper in her mood, "And he can make the necessary calls if you want him to."

"No, it's fine, I think Bill will want to be part of the process too."

Gibbs nodded and the two stood in comfortable silence. Sharon ran a hand through her hair and adjusted her glasses before asking him if he missed his daughter.

"Every day," he answered, as he crossed his arms. He rarely talked about his family but of the times he did, it was with someone he trusted. This time was no exception.

"How did you get through it?"

"Not sure I ever did; ask my three ex-wives."

Sharon let out a small laughter before realizing the seriousness of the situation and offered an apologetic smile. Gibbs shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. She picked up her drink and took a sip.

"So, do you think you'll come for the funeral?" she asked as she played with her bourbon.

Gibbs took a sip and shook his head, "The whole LAPD will be there and you don't need to be burdened with a guest."

"You're welcome to visit anytime."

"Likewise."

Sharon looked at her watch and realized it was getting late. She thanked Gibbs for the drink and headed for bed. Gibbs continued to finish his drink while gazing at pieces of wood clamped together.

...

"Rusty! Let's go, I don't want to be late!" Sharon shouted from the front door.

Gibbs shook his head and laughed at the typical teenager's clock before getting into the car. They already loaded the luggage and now were waiting for the teenager.

"Alright I'm coming, I'm coming. Sheesh."

Just as they were pulling out of the driveway, Gibbs slammed on the brakes as another car came to a screeching halt at the end of his driveway. He looked in the rear view mirror, readying to draw his weapon if necessary. He relaxed when he realized it was his team coming to say their goodbyes.

"Hey boss, hope we didn't scare 'ya," DiNozzo said as he approached the driver side window, "McGee thought we wouldn't make it in time, but with Ziva's driving and all."

"My driving is fine!"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway we just wanted to bid farewell to our guests before they head back to L.A."

They spent the next few minutes wishing each other well before Gibbs telling them they are running late. With a last quip about Ziva's driving from DiNozzo, the team entered their car and headed for the headquarters while Gibbs drove towards the airport.

...

Gibbs drove into the airport parking garage and luckily found a convenient parking spot. Everyone emptied the car and went to grab their luggage. Again he refused to let Sharon carry her bags and she again rolled her eyes.

They entered the airport and passed through the security checkpoints. Sharon headed for the bathroom while Rusty hung out with Gibbs, waiting for her.

"Hey Gibbs," Rusty said, "Thanks for everything you've done for us this past week."

"Anytime."

"I mean it," he continued, "My biological father wasn't much of a father to me..."

He looked down at his feet and shifted his weight. He knew Gibbs wasn't much of a talker, let alone an emotional person, but he felt like he needed to tell him.

"...and I've never been treated the way you, Sharon, everybody really..."

Gibbs put a hand on the boy's shoulder, knowing where he was going with it. He cracked a small smile, but it was one of those smiles he rarely allowed on his face. Rusty suddenly embraced Gibbs, even though he knew he wasn't much of a hugger either. But he didn't care because it was one of the last times he would be able to do it. He released a breath of relief when he felt Gibbs returning his embrace and a few pats on the back.

"You're doing good," he said above his head, "And you got one of the best people taking care of you."

Rusty nodded into his chest and they let go of each other. Gibbs tousled his hair and smiled, he wasn't sure how to act with a teenage boy but he figured the things he would have done with Kelly would work with Rusty. Rusty annoyingly fixed his hair but smiled back at Gibbs.

"So what did I miss?" Sharon asked, drying her hands with a paper towel.

"Nothing," Gibbs answered, keeping their little exchange a secret.

Sharon hummed skeptically but trusted Gibbs knew what he was doing. They gathered their belongings and headed for the appropriate gate. Rusty suddenly interrupted the trio's comfortable silence and proclaimed he was going to use the bathroom last minute. They continued to walk toward the gate and Sharon and Gibbs sat down with the bags while Rusty looked for the nearest restroom.

"He's a good kid," Gibbs said, looking to where Rusty stood last.

"Yes, yes he is," Sharon agreed, "I think he sees you as a father. I've never seen him act that way with his biological dad or even the men at work."

He nodded, knowing what she said is true. He turned to face her and offered a small, genuine smile. Sharon returned it, seeing as how his smiles are rare. It was then she noticed just how blue his eyes where. From afar, she could see how some thought they were ice cold. But up close and with him smiling, it was a mixture between a sad blue and a deep blue. How perfect, she thought, that his eyes seemed to exemplify his persona.

"Alright, that felt good!" Rusty said to announce his arrival.

Sharon laughed behind her hand and Gibbs chuckled. Rusty stood there as if he didn't know what he did wrong and the flight attendant announced their plane was now boarding. They grabbed their things and lined up to board the plane. Gibbs continued to carry Sharon's bags as they slowly made their way to the front of the line.

Rusty was cleared first and entered the hallway and waited for Sharon there. She gave the attendant her boarding pass and was cleared. She took her bags from Gibbs and the two made their way to Rusty to board the plane. Rusty entered the plane to find his seat while Sharon and Gibbs stopped in the hallway.

"Take care of yourself, Jethro," she said, masking a bit of sadness.

"You too, Sharon."

Suddenly she tiptoed, gave him a peck on the cheek, and waved a last goodbye. Gibbs nodded in her direction with his hands in his pocket and a smirk on his face.


End file.
